Vindication of an Evil Angel
by Notoyax17
Summary: Lelouch wakes up to find himself in a world he thought he lost. Is it possible create a world without destroying your own? Lulu/Suzu. Time Travel fic. Please R & R! Contains some lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**First things first, I own nothing. If I did, Code Geass would honestly be half porn. Yeah.**

**Second, this fic is unbetaed. I'm just too lazy for that right now. As it is it took a lot of effort to even type this up (and I wrote it over a week ago). If anyone is interested in being the beta for this chapter/the rest of the story, let me know!**

**Please read and review! All constructive criticism/love/piles of cookies are welcome.**

**For some reason, the 1****st**** posting of this turned out weird. And the way it looks overall feels cluttered... so I added spaces!**

**~ This takes place after the end of R2 ~ **

Violet eyes fluttered open slowly, wincing at the ray of light that greeted them. Lelouch vi Britannia blinked several times rapidly. Sunlight? There's no reason…no place where he would be able to see the sun now, is there?

"…louch…Lelouch?" A shadow fell over him and with it a hand came to rest over his eyes, shielding them from any stray sunlight.

"Hey, Lelouch, are you okay?" the voice asked. The young emperor blinked again and turned towards the direction of the voice. He was met with a pair of innocent emerald orbs whose owner smiled warmly, although concerned, down at him.

"Su…Suzaku?" he asked in confusion. Said brunette tilted his head in worry and came to kneel down before him. Looking at him fully, Lelouch could see that the Japanese boy was wearing their old Ashford Academy uniform.

"Why are you wearing that?" Lelouch asked. The younger boy frowned, looking more concerned if that were possible. He took the blackette's chin in one hand, leaning close to get a good look at his eyes.

"We're at school." He said, leaning back now, "Are you lucid? Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?" he continued, raising 4 fingers. Lelouch rolled his eyes and pushed the hand away.

"4." He muttered, "I'm fine. What's wrong with YOU?" he looked around for a moment, recognizing their current location as the school roof. "Why are even up here anyway?" he continued in question. Suzaku's frown deepened.

"You called me up here, remember? With the signal?" he said. He reached out and began palpating the back of his friend's skull, looking for swelling. "Suddenly you just slumped down and went quiet for a while. I was about to take you to the nurse…though I think I will anyway." He murmured.

Lelouch's eyes widened in surprise at that before quickly returning to normal. He reached up and began to fiddle with and fix the brunette's loosely done necktie, giving his body a good look over as he let the information sink in and process itself.

Several things were clear.

Suzaku didn't just _look_ younger. He _was _younger. Even sitting, he could see the subtle (and not so subtle) differences in the Eleven's physique as well as emotional countenance and facial features. All were much softer then he remembered.

He was alive. This wasn't C's world. Period. And unless this "hallucination" turned sour soon, he was fairly certain he wasn't in hell. The idea that he could even _be_ in Heaven wasn't even a logical option.

He was obviously in the past. How he'd gotten here was unknown and, as far as he was concerned, irrelevant for now.

All that said, there were a limited amount of times that he had bothered using their signal to call Suzaku to this particular location. He could think of 12 times off the top of his head.

"Lelouch?" came Suzaku's voice, breaking him out of his reverie. The Britannian quickly smoothed out the collar part of the necktie, not missing a beat.

"I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well last night." He stated. He allowed himself a soft yawn, biting his lip and swallowing it halfway as if to hide it. "What day is it again?"

"Why?" the soldier asked warily. Lelouch blinked tiredly at him.

"I'm trying to remember what classes I'm skipping today." He stated simply.

"You shouldn't be skipping at all." Suzaku scolded lightly. Lelouch gave him a half lidded stare…Suzaku sighed in defeat. Dammit.

"Wednesday. The 27th." He said. (1) Lelouch blinked in unmasked surprise. The 27th, Suzaku's first week of school…the very beginning. He was suddenly hit by a wave of memories…

The unusual loudness of the gunshot that pierced Euphemia's heart.

The feel of nothing, of emptiness, that came from Shirley's chest as he held her crying.

The sight of the loving smile that remained on Rolo's face even as his eyes clouded over and his heart stopped for the final time.

The shiver he hid as he forced himself to stare down Nunnally's determined glare with as much apathy as he possibly muster.

The brush of her lips against his, the last time he stood before Kallen, the warrior's skin surprisingly soft.

The feel of C.C.'s hair on his shoulders as they sat back to back on the bed they shared, in the room the shared, hands clasped, hers over his, at either side of the them.

And Suzaku…Suzaku…staring into his eyes each passing month as the innocent gleam of emerald faded into the dull sheen of jade. (2)

Staring into his eyes the first time they awoke face to face together in bed…stood face to face on the moving alter of his death, run through and dieing fast.

And staring into the crown as he stumbled forward, seeing only the cerulean sky beyond them and absently wondering, just for a moment, if he would glimpse Heaven before descending into Hell…as he now saw the sky before…

"LELOUCH!!" The _former_ emperor jolted in shock, surprised to feel his face wet with tears. Violet eyes met green sporadically as he was shaken harshly by his sun kissed friend.

"Don't do this to me okay?!" the brunette all but barked. The shaking lessened, "I…I need you to stay with me, alright?" he whispered pleadingly.

Lelouch was lifted bridal style into strong arms so quickly and fluidly that it took him a couple seconds to realize he was no longer on the ground. By that time, Suzaku had made it off the roof and down 2 flights of stairs. To say that the prince didn't react well to the wake up call would be an understatement.

"Holy-! Put me down! PUT ME DOWN! PUTMEDOWNPUTMEDOWN!!!" he barked, despite clinging onto the soldier for dear life.

"No. I'm taking you to the nurse." Suzaku said calmly, suddenly the voice of reason.

"I'M FINE!" Lelouch growled out as he squirmed in the embrace. Suzaku scowled and tightened his grip, enough to still his elder without bruising him.

Lelouch fell silent; simply glaring as his childhood friend continued to run, completely ignoring any looks and/or comments he received from the people that littered the hall. He finally came to a stop at the nurse's office, entered and gingerly placed the black haired boy on the bed, as one would a favorite doll. The nurse blinked in surprise.

"Well now, what seems to be the problem, Mr. Lamperouge, Mr. Kururugi?" She asked.

"He keeps blacking out with his eyes open." The brunette stated. The nurse's gaze shifted to look at Lelouch curiously.

"I'm just tired. I barely slept last night. That's all." He clarified. She nodded.

"Well, why don't you stay here and get some rest then. Mr. Kururugi, if you wish, you're welcome to stay and watch over him." Suzaku nodded. The nurse grabbed her clipboard and a small stack of book. "I'll be heading over to the gym. Please don't hesitate to let me know if his condition changes or worsens." She said as she left.

Suzaku sighed softly and pulled a chair to the side of the bed and sat, back straight, and simple WATCHED Lelouch. As if his condition would change right before his very eyes. The blackette frowned.

"Seriously, I'm fine." He deadpanned. Unfortunately, the brunette didn't look all that convinced. His friend had a bad habit of downplaying his ailments.

Lelouch let himself fall back on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling for some time before turning his head to study the brunette. They stayed like that, watching each other, for several minutes.

Lelouch extended a hand up towards Suzaku. The Japanese boy blinked in surprise but leaned forward. The hand reached up and cupped the tan face. Lelouch sat up on side and moved closer so that they were only inches apart. They stared at each other for a moment that seemed to last hours.

Suzaku's eyelids lowered and he shyly, tentatively closed the distance, his lips brushing lightly against Lelouch's before pulling back slightly to their aforementioned distance and meeting Lelouch's gaze again, a slight question in his eyes.

Violet eyes narrowed, glimmering with warmth. He smiled fondly and let his hand fall from Suzaku cheek to his thigh. He grasped it and used it as a brace to push himself forward to close the distance again, for a less than chaste kiss. Lelouch pressed his lips against Suzaku's, tongue coming out to flick across the other teen's lips in request for entrance.

Suzaku quickly granted it, moaning softly as the tongue began to lick, probe, and _touch_everything. His hands reached out to cup Lelouch's head, fingers clasped in black hair.

Then it hit. Like a wave, crushing and overpowering. Memories, images, thoughts. Light, dark, sepia rain.

Suzaku's unseeing eyes widened in shock, hands falling to grip weakly at Lelouch's uniform, neither quite able to break the kiss.

_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Unholy Trinity - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

_~ He stood in a white expanse of space. Endless. Directionless. He looked around frantically then looked down to find himself pale and naked. Green eyes shot wide in shock._

"_Suzaku." A voice echoed. Said brunette spun around to find…himself (?!) standing there. This 'Suzaku' was older, his military trained body adorned in his Knight of Zero uniform. The man walked calmly towards his younger self, the clicking of black boot-heels resounding softly throughout the land. _

_Young Suzaku's (YS) breath hitched and he darted back, stumbling and falling back into a seated position. Old(er) Suzaku (OS) came to a stop just a foot away. He fell to one knee and too YS by the chin before the boy could pull away._

_YS stared up at OS, breathing slowly and looking rightly frightened. OS's eyelids lowered to slits as he smiled. He leaned close, mouth by the boy's ear and placed his free hand on the YS's shoulder._

"_We both miss you." He murmured, "But this you no longer your place. Only I can exist by this one's side." He closed his eyes fully and rested the bridge of his nose on YS's shoulder._

"_Perhaps one day, someplace free of pain." He whispered._

"_No." YS stated calmly, awareness and understanding filling him. "Lelouch and…us together, we can do anything. We can make this world that 'someplace free of pain." He reached around and placed a comforting hand on OS's head. "You and I are still part of one another." He tilted his head back to look up at the never-ending white sky._

"_So I'll remain here, until that time comes where we can be one again." OS chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around his younger self and placed his face against the smaller boy's neck, YS's chin coming to rest on OS's head. ~_

_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Unholy Trinity - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

Suzaku opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the slightness of the frame he held. Then came familiar smell of vanilla and blackberries (3) that wafted from the thin neck. He pulled back slowly, arms he hadn't realized were there unlocking themselves from behind the brunette to release him.

Suzaku leaned back in his seat and looked over his friend. Ebony hair, slightly ruffled from their make out session, framed pale skin that looked even paler in comparison. Violet eyes were watching him just as carefully, searching his eyes for some cloue as to what to do next.

The brunette stood from his seat and crawled atop the bed. He knelt over his prince and pressed a hand against Lelouch's chest to gently push him down so Lelouch lay on his back with Suzaku on all fours over him.

A slight smirk crept upon his features, which Lelouch returned with one of his own. Suzaku leaned down and captured his lover's lips in another kiss.

"Somehow, I don't think that that will help ease Mr. Lamperouge's fatigue." A voice stated absently. Both teens jumped, eyes darting to see the nurse standing at the doorway. She closed the door as the two quickly separated.

"But I can certainly see now where the fatigue is coming from." She walked over to the desk and set her books down.

"Please do remember to be more gentle with him, Mr. Kururugi. He's quite fragile, you know." She stated, sitting down in the swiveling chair at her desk and stared at the two with a calm expression. Suzaku looked away and couldn't help but blush faintly.

"It's not like that." He said. The nurse simply raised an eyebrow. Really now?

"He means that's not the reason I'm tired. He really had nothing to do with it." Lelouch clarified, looking away as well. The nurse nodded.

"I see. Well then, Mr. Lamperouge. Did you believe exhausting yourself would allow you to fall asleep faster?" she asked. 2 pairs of eyes shot up to stare at her in shock.

"If that's the case, I'd prefer that you let me know so that I can send the both of you home." And at the looks of increased shock and horror she received added, "Other people will need to use the bed and I'd simply prefer not to have to change the sheets." The boys continued to stare at her, too dumbfounded to speak.

"Well?" she prodded. Lelouch flushed, shot a glance at Suzaku before quickly choosing to count the number of posters on the walls.

"I think I might as well take you up on your offer. I can't sleep in this room anyway." Suzaku raised an eyebrow at this.

"You can't sleep in this room, that has a _bed_, but you can sleep in class, in an uncomfortable desk, over the teachers' lectures?" he asked. Lelouch shrugged. What could he say? The nurse reached into a drawer and wrote a quick note.

"Alright, you're excused." Take him home please, Mr. Kururugi." Suzaku nodded and gathered Lelouch again, much to the prince's annoyance. He allowed the teen to be carried piggyback because the older boy absolutely refused to be carried like a girl again. Not like he could have done anything about it regardless. Suzaku was just reaching for the doorknob when the nurse called out for him.

"Oh, and Mr. Kururugi, catch." She tossed a zip locked bundle over to him. The soldier shifted and caught it easily in one hand. He inspected the package curiously. The pack contained 5 (extra large) condoms and a tube of cherry flavored lubricant. Suzaku barely (and visibly) resisted the urge to drop the pack like it was on fire, face turning crimson. Even Lelouch buried his face in Suzaku's shoulder once he'd realized what it was.

"…Um…huh?" Suzaku squeaked intelligently.

"The condom's a suggestion, lube a recommendation." She stated distractedly, focus already returned to the paperwork before her. She gave them a dismissive wave.

They exited the room the 'gift' safely tucked in Suzaku's coat pocket.

"Well…that was akward…" Lelouch muttered. Suzaku nodded in agreement.

**1) TOTALLY made that BS up. My recollection of certain parts is pretty limited, it's been a while.**

**2) Get it? Jade…Jaded! …Yeah I know, lame.**

**3) I have no idea what blackberries smell like. I just thought the white and black thing would be good for him. It had to be vanilla and a fruit.**

**Sorry the chapter ended kinda randomly/awkwardly. I got bored while writing it. Please tell me what you think and any ideas you have for later chapters.**

**Also, I have the attention span of a rat…on crack. Which is why my updating is kind of sporadic. The only reason I was able to even write this is because the computer at my night job wasn't working and all I had to entertain myself was a radio (with like 5 good channels) and some dice/Yhatzee cup. Yeah…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yo! So I just finished writing this this morning (at my night job). I thought about adding a lemon in here, but couldn't quite place it right. So later. Sorry guys.**

**Also, I while Suzu/Lulu is the MAIN/REAL pairing, I have a very large soft spot for the Unholy Trinity Pairing. For those who don't know, that's C.C./Suzu/Lulu. For the time being, that will be the 'lemon' pairing in this story. **

**In addition, many have asked how Lelouch got to the past. To be honest, I hadn't even thought about it before writing the first chapter (I figured no one would call me on it ^_^; ). That said, within the next week or so, I will be putting up a new story that will act as the prequel to this that explains it. For reasons that will be explained in that story Lulu will have no memories of those events. **

**Be warned, unless I get reviews saying that you all want otherwise, the prequel will probably be a torture fic!**

**Now, ONWARD!**

*** * * * * * * ***

"Well, what now?" Suzaku asked. They had just entered Lelouch's bedroom in the academy's clubhouse. The black haired boy sighed and nuzzled the area where Suzaku's neck and right shoulder met.

"I don't know," he murmured, "perhaps I should exhaust myself." Suzaku chuckled softly, let Lelouch down from his back and turned around to face him. He gently brushed his lover's bangs away and leaned closer to press their foreheads together. Both smiled warmly.

Lelouch reached up and locked his arms behind Suzaku's neck. The brunette tilted his head and planted soft kisses along his prince's jaw line and neck. The prince hummed in satisfaction.

Lelouch's eyes shot open suddenly as a realization hit him. He cursed under his breath and pulled away, eyes darting around frantically.

"What?! What is it?" Suzaku asked, panicking at the fact that Lelouch was panicking.

"C.C." he half stated, half called out. The Britannian began to search the room, opening doors and checking closets.

"Are you serious? She's been living with you that long?" he asked. Lelouch nodded absently and climbed onto the windowsill.

"I swear, if she left again, I'm gonna – " he froze mid sentence. The boy turned his head up and sniffed the air. His head turned sharply towards the bed. He saw a flash of yellow. Growling in annoyance, he stalked over to the bed, knelt down and took a look under it.

"Hello C.C." he muttered when violet eyes met gold. She lay on a large Cheese-kun plush, her head resting atop its. Emerald colored hair was tied back in a long French braid. Upon further inspection, there was a juice box and a half empty box of pizza under there as well. She'd been there a while.

"Why are you under the bed?" Lelouch asked, unsure whether to be confused or annoyed. She hummed thoughtfully.

"You told me not to let myself be seen." The prince scowled.

"Since when do you listen to what I say?" he asked. Her eyes shifted to look past him at the other pair of shoes in the room.

"Since you started bringing boys home." She snickered, "Slut."

At the time the witch couldn't be sure if the apple red color of Lelouch's face was an indication of rage or embarrassment. What mattered was that he hadn't bothered to deny her statement. Yet. And by the time he did, it would be too late.

Suzaku knelt to help the woman up out from her hiding place as Lelouch stood up and sat cross legged on the bed, looking like he wanted to murder her then drown himself, if only to escape this nonsense.

Now standing, C.C. gave the soldier a good once over. As to be expected, Lelouch had good taste. Very good taste.

"Hey C.C. Do you remember me?" he asked. She blinked slowly.

"The soldier boy from Shinjuku Ghetto." She stated with a shrug as she sat down on the bed. Suzaku frowned, looking mildly disappointed but not surprised. Lelouch crawled over to C.C.'s side, having regained his composure. He took her face in his hands.

"May I try something?" he asked quietly. She tilted her head in confusion but nodded. He kissed her gently on the lips. Suzaku watched as the immortal's eyes widened and slowly rolled back, the crimson geass symbol glittering on her forehead. Lelouch let out a pained groan in their kiss, his own eyes growing wide. The geass symbol appeared in both eyes now, the symbol's wings flapping erratically. The 2 slowly pulled apart, each gasping softly for air.

Suzaku took a seat on the bed next to Lelouch and wrapped his arms around the slim frame. The prince closed his eyes slowly and relaxed weakly into his knight's form.

"You guys okay?" Suzaku asked quietly, casting glances back and forth between the 2 geass holders. Lelouch simply nodded into his lover's chest. Rejuvenating two sets of memories and having the uncontrolled geass restored took a lot out of him. C.C. looked over at the boys and gave them a small smile. She reached out and cupped Suzaku's cheek. She pinched it.

"I didn't realize how _adorable_ you were back then." She murmured. The witch slowly ran a finger down the length of the soldier's chest, whistling in sheer appreciation. Suzaku blinked slowly and looked away, smiling over a slight blush.

"Pedophile." Lelouch muttered from the embrace. He turned his head to look up at her.

"You know, it isn't good to be robbing cradles." He said with a smirk, turning his whole body to face her and adjust himself into Suzaku's lap. C.C. shrugged.

"I like to think of it as you two robbing a grave." She drawled back, matching his smirk. Both boys rolled their eyes, accompanied by a chuckle from the brunette.

"You'll get your grave…" Lelouch murmured absently, almost too soft to be heard. He left Suzaku's embrace and wrapped his arms around the green haired girl.

"I'll give you a future," he whispered, "a future that ends…I swear." C.C.'s expression softened and she buried her face in his hair.

"I know. Only a demon could take a witch's curse." She said.

"No."

Both heads shot up to look at the crossed legged brunette. If looks could kill…well, C.C. certainly wouldn't have a problem anymore. Lelouch frowned.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm not letting you do that." Suzaku turned to C.C. "Sorry, but he's screwed up enough as it is without adding immortality to his problems." C.C.'s eyes widened slightly at his words before schooling her features into a normal stare. The older boy scowled.

"That ISN'T your decision to make." He growled out. Suzaku stared impassively down at him, unaffected by the dark glare.

"Fine then," he turned to C.C. again, "give me a geass so I can take your code myself. That is what you're concerned about, right?" Lelouch's expression went from shocked to absolutely _LIVID_.

"LIKE HELL IT IS!" he barked. "I am _NOT_ about to let you do that to yourself!" Suzaku raised an eyebrow.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it's your decision to make." He murmured, "After all, aren't you the one who ordered me to _live_?" he stated. Lelouch's eyes widened at the harsh blow, eyes welling up with angry tears. His whole posture suddenly became laxed.

"Please, please don't do that to yourself. Don't do that to me." He pleaded desperately.

Suzaku's eyes softened. He lay on the bed and pulled his lover down so that they both were lying on their sides face t face.

"I can't let you do that for the same reason you can't let me." He soothed. Lelouch's eyes narrowed, tears running over the bridge of his nose to join those that stained the sheets at the other side of his face. Suzaku cupped the tear-streaked face. He stared into Lelouch's eyes, his own calm but determined.

"I don't want to lose you again… to live in a world you only _exist_ in." He closed his eyes and kissed the prince's forehead.

"And I won't let you suffer mere existence alone. You deserve the happiness that you strive to give everyone else." He trailed kisses down Lelouch face until he reached his lips, where he paused.

"I am your knight. To serve, to love, to cherish, I'm yours; to serve, to love, to cherish, you're mine." He smirked against Lelouch's lips. "And I won't _let_ you leave me now." He opened his eyes to stare into his lover's, "Give me the chance to stand by you. So no matter how long we exist, we'll always have a chance to live."

Lelouch just stared at the boy wide eyed for a moment. His face slowly flushed a deep red and he turned to bury his face in the bed sheets. Suzaku blinked in confusion. C.C.'s hands fell to her lap from where they had been covering her mouth in shock.

"Did you just…propose…to him?" she asked slowly. Suzaku tilted his head, considered his words for a moment before gathering his lover in his arms and cuddling him.

"Yes. Yes I did." He said happily, trying hard to get the flustered prince to meet his gaze again. That wasn't going to happen anytime soon. C.C. giggled in excitement. She was rather fond of weddings and Lelouch _was_ going to be wearing a dress at his. The wave of glee she felt at this thought quickly died though.

"How?" she asked quietly. Both boys looked up.

"How what?" Lelouch asked.

"How will you both…_remain_ together?" Lelouch stared up at Suzaku curiously. The other teen looked away.

"V.V.'s code." he stated uncertainly. Clearly this plan hadn't been thought out. But that was to be expected. Suzaku wasn't an idiot my any means, but he certainly wasn't _Lelouch_.

"I doubt he'd just hand it over." She muttered. Lelouch shrugged.

"Didn't my father just steal it from him?" he asked. The witch rolled her golden eyes.

"Charles had had years of physical and mental strength under his belt prior to that." She said.

"It's fine." Suzaku said, "We'll just deal with that when the time comes. We still have a rebellion to deal with first." The other two nodded. C.C. glanced at from one boy to the other before looking away entirely.

"I'll going to give him the geass now. Alright?" Suzaku nodded. Lelouch took a slow deep breath, and then nodded as well. The knight and the witch climbed off the bed and stood facing one another. C.C. took Suzaku's hands in her own and closed her eyes.

"_To you I grant the power of the knight. One with the strength to protect and the duty to serve his lord must also have the power to lead not only an army but their charge as well. Controlling others requires one to control their own heart." _He heard her speak into his mind. _"Suzaku Kururugi, do you accept this contract?"_ Suzaku closed his eyes.

"_Yes." _

"_One with the power of the knight is destined for loneliness, even within a crowd of thousands. Is this your wish?"_

"It is." He whispered aloud.

"_So be it."_ Suzaku opened his eyes, the newly formed geass symbol flexing its wings. Lelouch watched them in anticipation. What now?

"Well?" the prince asked. Suzaku's eyes shifted to meet his. He smiled warmly and a white sphere of light that only he and C.C. could see enveloped the three of them.

Lelouch's eyes widened and he felt the tale tell pull of geass on his mind, the rims of his irises glowing crimson. He was hit by a wave of emotion, eyes becoming half lidded as he stood. A feeling he couldn't consciously think about overfilled him, seeming to come out in waves.

Lelouch smiled slowly, fondly, as he strolled over to where his lover stood, hips swinging subtlety. He reached the brunette and pressed his body against the younger teen, rubbing, nuzzling as much of him as he could. Suzaku blinked in surprise.

And it was gone. The geass in Suzaku's eyes as well as the feeling that had filled him. Lelouch blinked rapidly a couple of times.

"What the _fuck_ was that?" he asked.

"He can manipulate emotions. Inspire rage, loyalty, sadness…lust." C.C. answered with a grin. Lelouch looked back and forth from on to the other. He took Suzaku by the collar of his uniform.

"_Never again. You hear me?"_ he growled out. Suzaku merely smiled and reactivated the power. Before the Britannian could even react, he was overcome with a set of hard, manic giggling. But it was gone as quickly as it came. Lelouch glared bloody murder up at the Honorary Britannian as he tried to catch his breath.

"Right. Sorry. Never again." The brunette agreed with a grin.

"Entertaining, isn't it?" C.C. asked. Suzaku let out a happy sigh.

"Oh so very."

* * * * * * * *

**Oh dear. That was kinda shorter than the last chapter huh? Sigh. Sorry. The story will actually move on next chapter, I hope. Also, I didn't realize before that Clovis was already dead by this part of the story. DAMN. I kinda liked him on some level. I'm tempted to just totally disregard that fact but that would mess up the flow of a lot of events wouldn't it? (Suzaku wouldn't have even met Euphie or entered Ashford).**

**La Sigh.**

**Please Read and Review. Let me know if you have any requests! I get nothing from silence! U.U**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, I'm doing this when I really should be working on hw and studying for a test…oh well. The other story may have to wait a bit while I formulate ideas for it. Like I said, no advanced thought was put into it and now and need to work it so it doesn't affect this story.**

**And just because I don't think I'll be able to fit it anywhere else, the lemon will be in the beginning. Please know that although I've thought of many (longer and probably better) lemons, this is the first I've **_**written**_**. It's much harder when you have to make sure other people understand what's going on. U.U If only I could just make a hentai for this or something…oh well.  
**

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That day the three of them remained in the clubhouse. Both Suzaku and C.C. remained for dinner, to Nunnally's delight. Afterward, they returned to Lelouch's room.

Presently, Suzaku was sitting at Lelouch's desk _doing homework_. For reasons neither Lelouch nor C.C. could ever really understand, the brunette insisted on getting the work done and getting good marks in his classes. _The freak._

Lelouch sat against the headboard next to C.C. drawing in a nondescript blueprint notebook. He'd been working on this for the better part of the day. Tomorrow, they'd have to begin their plan. One that C.C., in all her boredom derived craziness, had decided to title 'Vindication of an Evil Angel.' (1) Suzaku had seconded the vote, giving them the majority. _Bastards._

Letting out a soft sigh, the prince set the book down on the nightstand, his reading glasses following suit. He stood up and came to stand behind his knight. Lelouch wrapped his arms around the younger boy and set his chin on the crook of his neck. C.C. looked up from her own spot on the bed in curiosity.

"You know, I never got to take that nap." He murmured against the brown locks of hair. Suzaku frowned slightly. Now, while he was _working_, Lelouch wanted to play? Like hell.

"Give me 15 minutes. I'll be done soon." Lelouch frowned slightly. He pulled back but kept his hands on Suzaku's shoulders. He looked over his shoulder to stare at C.C. She smirked. Lelouch turned back to his lover.

"Come now," he murmured, running the tip of his tongue slowly over Suzaku's spine, "all work and no play leaves Suzaku a very _hard_ boy." The shivered slightly but rolled his eyes and tried to resume his work.

_LIIIIIICK._

Suzaku blinked hard, slowly. He pulled back from the desk to look down at C.C. who had just given a nice slow lick over his clothed member. How did she even get under there without him knowing? He scowled.

"Enough. Both of you." He growled. C.C. cocked her head to the side and looked up at him innocently. Lelouch leaned down so that his cheek touched Suzaku's.

"Come, Come Suzu-chan!" the two chorused innocently, _"Come play with us…"_ they breathed against him. Both finished the act by giving him a lick and a kiss; Lelouch on his neck, C.C. on his groin. The brunette groaned softly and tilted his head back.

"Dammit guys." He breathed. The slighter members of the Trinity smirked in victory.

C.C. undid the uniforms belt with her hands, using her teeth to undo the button and pull down the zipper, all the while staring into Suzaku's eyes. Meanwhile, Lelouch was relieving the brunette of his uniform top, licking and nipping Suzaku's neck as he did. He grazed his teeth over the tan jugular, placing a particularly strong bit at just the top of it. The knight whimpered then growled.

Suzaku stood up abruptly. The other two stared at him with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. His head turned to look at Lelouch. A lustful, _positively wicked_ smile literally crept onto his face. The prince cringed, rightfully a little afraid. Maybe they'd gone a _little_ too far.

Before either could blink, Suzaku had pressed himself against the thinner boy, pinned both of the prince's arms behind his back and had used the belt C.C. had loosened to bind them there from mid-arm to wrist. Lelouch's eyes widened in surprise and tried to undo the bind. No luck. C.C. was _really_ looking forward to whatever Suzaku had planned.

The brunette smirked. "This is going to be the last time you interrupt my work." He murmured against the Britannian's lips. Lelouch chuckled nervously.

"What are you going to do? Break me?" Lelouch asked, feigning confidence. The Eleven chuckled softly. He brought his next to Lelouch's ear.

"I prefer the word _shatter._" He breathed. Lelouch shivered visibly and closed his eyes. Crap. C.C. smiled happily.

"How can I help?" she asked, calmly ignoring the violet glare she received. Suzaku tilted his head to look at her.

"Keep him close, but not over. Do a good job and you won't be next." The woman actually blinked in surprise at that. As much as she wanted to believe that the brunette was bluffing, he definitely had the stamina to back it up. C.C. blushed deeply and nodded.

Suzaku smiled approvingly at her, picked up his vict-, I mean, lover, and dumped him unceremoniously on the bed. Quick hands quickly and easily relieved the pale body of its coverings. The brunette sat back on his heels and stared appreciatively at the slender form at his disposal. Lelouch flushed deeply and looked away. Suzaku was usually a physical person. This was actually the first time that he'd just _stared _at Lelouch. The prince shivered, he might as well have been giving him a tongue bath for all the discomfort he was causing.

Lelouch's back arched as he felt a lubed finger slip inside him. He let out a soft whimper. He'd forgotten that this body was still a virgin. His eyes followed the length of the arm inside him and met C.C.'s eyes. She smiled and moved so that he sat on her lap, increasing the pace as she slipped another finger inside him, twisting, turning, and feeling around.

Suzaku leaned down and without warning or preamble, took his entire length down his throat. The prince's head jerked back as he gasped in shock. C.C. used her free hand to take Lelouch by the chin and tilt it back so she could kiss him. The boy shifted and rubbed against her, shoving his unbound fingers into her leaking cunt. She gasped and moaned into his mouth. Lelouch mirrored the action, a shiver running through him, his body squeezing down on the slender fingers inside him.

And that was all it took. Both C.C. and Suzaku leaned away from the prince, momentarily pulling away from his pleasure spots. Lelouch's eyes widened as Suzaku made a ring around the base of his cock with his thumb and index finger. The teen glowered and shot them a flushed glare.

"Don't! Don't you dare!" he growled out breathlessly. Suzaku simply smiled and started rubbing the prince's chest in soothing circles. Dammit! Lelouch was _not _in the mood to be soothed!

C.C. smiled and slowly moved out from behind Lelouch. The teen stared at her with confusion and annoyance. She crawled over to Suzaku and straddled his lap. Taking the brunette's cock in hand, she slowly impaled herself on it. Suzaku let out a soft breath against her chest. She smiled and slowly turned herself on his member to face their king.

Lelouch watched in longing as she pulled and lifted her legs back so that he had a great view of Suzaku's thick member delving into and stretching her moist orifice. He bit back a groan of longing. The brunette smiled from behind as one hand massaged and pinched at C.C.'s nipples while the other lightly stroked and flicked the head, and only the head, of Lelouch's penis, relishing in the annoyed grunts he received.

Lelouch shifted slightly trying to turn his hands enough for him to finger himself. It was annoyingly difficult. He'd finally managed to rub the tips of his fingers against his entrance when C.C. let out a cry. His head shot up.

Suzaku had given her a particularly deep thrust and was following it with several deeper, faster ones. She and Lelouch gasped in surprise as Suzaku wrapped an arm around C.C.'s waist and used his body to lean her onto Lelouch. The Britannian immediately captured her lips in his own, desperate for real touching.

Suzaku slowly pulled out from the female body and thrust himself into the male one. Lelouch's eyes widened and rolled back for a moment. C.C. reached onto the nightstand and stabbed her fingers into the open bottle of lube.

Reaching down, she slowly added a digit into the already tight hole. Lelouch gasped and strained to arch his back under the weight of two bodies (let's be honest) heavier than his own. The teen groaned and bucked against the fullness. Suzaku shivered against C.C.'s back, releasing his seed into the boyfriend's tight hole.

Said boyfriend shuddered at the feeling, the burning fullness, and…couldn't CUM! The prince let out a loud annoyed growl at C.C., the one who held him back this time.

"I'm sorry, OKAY! Just…just please…" he breathed out between pants. The other two simply smiled.

"Fine. This time." Suzaku said. C.C. chuckled and turned around so that she faced Suzaku. The brunette backed up and slowly lifted C.C. onto Lelouch's quivering member. As she moved, he went back and forth between massaging her clit with his tongue and burying it into Lelouch used entrance, cleaning him out and, every now and then, prodding the prince's prostate with the hot muscle.

Suzaku turned his tongue up inside the confined space and let out a rumbling chuckled against it when he felt Lelouch's body tighten around him. C.C. gasped as she was filled to the brim with semen. She gripped the sheets beneath her as her own orgasm followed, squeezing down on Lelouch's penis and forcibly drawing out his climax.

C.C. let out a breath and lay down to relax on Lelouch's stomach. The teen in question closed his eyes and tried to slowly regain his senses. This would have been hard enough even if he hadn't been forced to hold on for so long.

And so it went. On the bed, on the floor, in the bathroom (when Suzaku had told them that they were _finished_), on the bed _again_, etc.

All of which he normally didn't have a problem with. But normally, Suzaku had the decency to allow them breaks in between. Not today. Or rather the 4 ½ hours that seemed to last a day. There seriously needed to be a limit to how much endurance (of any kind) one person could have without the use of pills.

And as Lelouch relaxed (finally) in their newly laid bed, on his side with his head on Suzaku's stomach and C.C.'s arms wrapped around him from behind, Lelouch made a promise to himself. Never again. Excruciating soreness, marathon-level exhaustion, and numerous hickeys, bite marks, and light bruises, were NOT worth the 15 minutes he could have just waited.

He'd write the reminder on the fucking wall if he needed to, god dammit.

**= = = = = = = = = Unholy Trinity = = = = = = = = =**

The next morning (or early afternoon, in Lelouch's case) found both boys not quite mentally with the other students at school.

Suzaku, for the most part, was fine. But every now and then, his eyes would be drawn to Lelouch…to his one-day-bride… and an unusually happy (even for the Suzaku of back then) grin would break out onto his face. (2) Lelouch spent the better part of the day asleep. In the few moments he woke up, he'd feel the heat of Suzaku's stare and couldn't help but look over at the brunette in still sleepy confusion. He'd see the GRIN™, turn bright red, decide that whatever class he was in wasn't worth staying awake for, and bury his face in his arms.

It was…weird.

"Did you lose a bad bet or something?" Rivalz asked curiously after the 5th time, on their way to the student counsel room. Lelouch sighed.

"Yeah…something like that."

"What'd you bet?" the blue haired boy continued. For his troubles, he received a dark glare. The bluenette winced and laughed nervously. He quickly made up a random excuse ("The President wanted me to… rearrange her locker!" "We don't have lockers." "Which means I need to go BUY ONE! Yeah! Later!") and scurried down the hall before he could risk the chance of spontaneously combusting under the glare.

Lelouch sighed and closed his eyes as he felt more than saw Suzaku come up beside him.

"You're making life hard today." He muttered. The brunette tilted his head innocently.

"Just life? Not you?" he asked. The prince froze mid-step. Suzaku gave a not so innocent chuckle and smiled sweetly at his friend. Lelouch glowered.

"Not helping." Suzaku's features calmed into his normal (R2) smile.

"I apologize." He murmured. He stared up at the ceiling of the emptying hallway. "We're still meeting at the set place tonight, right?" he asked. Lelouch nodded as they continued walking.

"Are you sure it's alright to see all of them at once? Wouldn't it be better to do the last 2 separately?"

"No. It's better to gather them all together and explain everything in one go." Violet eyes shifted to look at the brunette. "If we do anyone separate, it'll be any others we decide to convert later." Suzaku nodded.

"Alright. I'd going to go ahead and leave now. I have some practicals to run with Lloyd before I come."

"Right."

**= = = = = = = = = Unholy Trinity = = = = = = = = =**

~ Engineering Corps Laboratory ~

Lloyd hummed thoughtfully as pale green eyes scanned the results of Suzaku's recent practical marks and compared them to the last ones they'd taken a week ago.

"Ne, Suzaku." The teen in question looked down at the scientist from his seat in Lancelot. "You've gotten laid recently, huh?" he stated absently more than asked. Both Cecile and Suzaku blanched and the statement.

"What?!" Both asked in shock. Lloyd looked up at the pilot and smiled oddly (3).

"Not that I'm complaining. If increased hormone rates are what it takes to get me a 97% synchronization rate, then by all means, bring the boy here and just do him before each mission." He said with a happy twirl. The other two blinked, both blushing.

"Now Lloyd, you don't know that …that SEX is the cause." Cecile stammered. Lloyd gave her a knowing stare. She looked away.

"Um… how did you know it was a boy?" Suzaku asked in confusion. He was certain that he'd never talked about his love life before, especially at this time.

"I didn't." Lloyd said with a smirk, "Thank you for that tidbit of info, Suzaku." The brunette twitched. He'd walked right into that. Cecile flushed deeply.

"LLOYD! That's none of our business!" she admonished. She shot Suzaku a shy glance, "Um…though I had no idea you were like _that_." She finished quietly.

"Oh, he's not. Suzaku strikes me as the type to not care one way or the other." Lloyd murmured, looking back down at his clipboard, pretty much done with the conversation.

Cecile looked curiously at Suzaku, who nodded shyly. The teen turned his back on them and laid his head on Lancelot's counsel. He knew neither _really_ cared about his orientation, but that didn't make this any less awkward…except with Lloyd, he supposed.

When their session came to an end, Suzaku jumped easily out of the Lancelot and approached the pair of researchers.

"Lloyd, Cecile." The two looked up at him curiously. "Later tonight, would it be possible for you guys to meet with a friend of mine? We're working on a project and could really use your help." Lloyd raised a bored eyebrow before going back to his work.

"Even if it's you, why would I waste my time working on some _high school assignment_?" he asked. Cecile frowned.

"Come on," she prodded, "it won't be that bad, and we could help them get done much faster." Lloyd gave her a blank stare. Suzaku sighed dejectedly.

"It's okay, Cecile. We needed a lot of help so my friend said he get this one scientist woman he knew. A…Chawla-san." He stated. Lloyd started. The lavender head turned creepily slowly to look at him.

"_What."_ Suzaku inwardly smirked, keeping his outward innocent expression intact.

"Well, he was bragging about her being the best researcher out there, that we wouldn't need anyone else's help with just her along. But," the brunette innocently wrung his hands together, "I was trying to convince him that you were much better. After all, you made the Lancelot, right? But…well." He held up his hands palms facing out in a placating way, "I get that you're busy. Please forget I said anything."

"_When?_" Suzaku blinked in confusion.

"_What TIME?_" Lloyd growled out. The brunette cringed.

"11 pm." Cecile raised an eyebrow.

"So late?" She asked.

"They weren't available earlier." He answered.

"We'll be there." Lloyd muttered. "And you make sure that friend of yours is there to. He obviously hasn't seen a REAL scientist at work if he thinks _she's_ the best." He finished with a smirk. Suzaku gave them a sweet smile. _'Almost too easy.'_ He thought.

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**Ok. This chapter and the next one were initially supposed to just be one lone chapter. But I'm having problems with the other part and it was making this whole process take too long (it's already at 4 pages). I ask/BEG that when (note that I said **_**when**_** and not **_**if**_**) you reply, add in some advice or tips for the next chapter. I'm wondering if I should let anyone in on the geass/from the future thing.**

**I hope this chapter doesn't seem too cluttered.**

**1. Yeah, shameless I know. I figured that I should probably add those words in somewhere. Just getting over with. ^_^**

**2. Suzu is just overly excited about this. Sex is one thing, but with all that's happened, he was never going to get the chance to get married before. The idea of getting married, living happily ever after, etc. is too much for him. I guess a little of Young Suzaku is still in him.**

**3. You know that smile that Lloyd uses a lot? He's used it on Bartley in the show at least once. It's like a leer, a smirk, and a smile rolled into one. There's a word for it, but I couldn't for the life of me remember what it was. If anyone knows, please tell me!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the incredible delay. I've hit sort of a slump lately so I haven't been do much of anything recently. DON'T HATE ME!!! (*O*) **

**Once again, let me stress that I don't think of these things ahead of time. I basically write as it comes to me. That said, I have no idea where the beginning of this chapter came from. It's 2 in the morning and I was listening to OneRepublic's 'All the right moves' on repeat…so yeah.**

**I'll probably figure out a way to tie it to the rest of the story, though it does already work well. Sorry for destroying the mystery.**

**Please read and review. Ideas get things done faster than cookies do! Although the sugar rush definitely helps. **

**I also want to thank everyone that's review the story so far. :Plays 'Thank you' by Dido: **

**You guys are great! Especially those of you who have reviewed more than once. Keep it up!**

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_Violet eyes opened slowly, narrowing quickly as they were met with strong lights. The young teen looked around at the wide room. Thin blue and silver lace drapes hung from the ceiling at even intervals, the long pieces of cloth spun to look like curls. People in suits and ball gowns sat at the various tables set at the sides of the room while others spun synchronized like swans at the center floor. Slow spinning chandeliers with upturned flower shaped sockets held lavender, sky blue and white bulbs, turning the room into a fairytale ball._

"_Princess." A voice murmured. The figure looked up to meet emerald eyes. They glittered warmly as the young man smiled. The brunette wore a blue shirt and a white suit with a long coat, lined with blue silk and adorned with medals. A white gloved hand extended out to the princess._

"_May I have this dance?" He asked, though both knew it to be a question that need not be asked. The princess placed her black gloved hand in his. Facing her, the man took a few steps back, leading her forward down and off the pedestal she'd been sitting on. Her feet safely on level ground, he turned away and led her further onto the center floor, holding her hand in a gentle but firm grip. As she followed him, her eyes scanned his figure. Had he always been so tall? Had he always been this slender?_

_She quickened her step, wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned against his back, stopping his movement. She felt more than heard him chuckle against his back. Twist his hand so that their fingers clasped together, the man slowly spun in her embrace, thus spinning her also so that their hands remained clasped. He now stood behind her with his free arm wrapped around her waist and let his forehead rest in her hair. Their clasped hands rested on her bosom, rising and falling with the weight of her breaths. _

_Both remained silent as they swung slowly to the rhythm of the symphony that played, bodies molded so completely together they might as well have been one person. The princess tilted her head back to place a light kiss on the nobleman's lips. As it ended he smiled against her lips and she smiled back. _

_They released one another, spinning once more to face each other, take each other's hands and move back to stand 2 arms lengths away. They held that for a moment before pulling close again and fluidly adjusting themselves into a dancing position, joining the other dancers in their synchronized glide._

"_How long can this last?" he asked._

"_Forever." The man chuckled._

"_Forever? Doesn't our very mortality make forever impossible?" he asked as he spun her away and pulled her back close._

"_Solipsism." (1) She murmured. "So long as I breathe, you breathe as well. So long as I live, you live by my side. When we disappear, we take the world with us. That is our forever. It shall end with us." He chuckled warmly, his form visibly shaking, halting their dance._

"_How narcissistic." He laughed. She smirked up at him._

"_Better narcissistic than nihilistic." She said. "It'd be rather depressing to see the dead mourn the living. Don't you think?" He tilted his head and smirked as well._

"_And when we die, the world won't exist to miss us. I don't know if I should think that pleasant or morbid." He stated absently, his smile fading as he finished._

"_Neither. It merely is." She stated pulling him back into their dance. The nobleman hummed softly in agreement. And thus they resumed their dance in blissful silence. Time seemed to stretch on for hours, the world around them becoming a blur of indistinguishable colors. They were all that existed in this pool of watercolors. _

_The nobleman slowed them to a stop once more and held his princess firmly in his arms._

"_Our dance has ended." He murmured against her hair. She turned her head to look out of one of the large window. A large beam of light raced toward the building they were in, growing brighter by the second, the rims glowing an ever darker black. The princess turned back to face him. Both closed their eyes and held each other tighter._

"_Yes." She whispered. "Perhaps another time, should this world continue to exist without us."_

"_Goodbye, my love." He whispered. She threaded a hand through his hair as he did hers._

"_Yes. Until we meet again…" _

_A wave of heat fell over them, as if they were out on a hot day. The light was blinding, even through closed eyes buried in others forms. Too quick to feel pain, but slow enough to know what was coming…it was over._

_~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~_

Violet eyes fluttered open slowly. Their owner sat up slowly and looked about the room.

"I can't believe you fainted." Lelouch jumped. His head shot to look at the green-haired witch that sat on the other side of his bed. He glared mildly at her then looked around. They were in the Black Knights' base, in the bedroom they shared. The teen sighed and massaged his forehead.

"I _fainted_?" he asked. She nodded as she continued to fiddle with the Cheese-kun plush in her lap.

"In the middle of the budget meeting." She smirked. "You just dropped out mid-sentence. Head hit the table and everything. You gave them such a heart attack." She finished with a far-too-amused-considering-the-situation snicker. The prince scowled.

"Well? What did you do? What did you tell them?" he asked with a slight panic. She rolled her eyes.

"Relax. I told them that you hadn't been getting much sleep working on war strategies after hours." Lelouch sighed in relief and leaned back against the headboard. "You're lucky I was there. They really wanted to take off your mask to 'help you breath better' and take you to the infirmary." C.C. added. Lelouch cringed at the thought.

"Thank you." He murmured. C.C. scooted closer and placed her head on his shoulder.

"What did you dream about?" she asked absently.

"Suzaku."

"A wet one?" the prince frowned.

"NO. How long was I out?"

"3.5 hours." Lelouch sighed softly in annoyance. That was a lot of time gone. Damn you Suzaku!

The Britannian shifted C.C. off him and slipped out of the bed. He took his uniform, hung neatly on the back of the door. Dressing quickly, he grabbed his boots and sat back down on the bed as he pulled them on.

"Leaving so soon?" she asked.

"I need to reassure everyone that I'm fine. Not to mention the pile of paperwork that I am NOT leaving to Diethard." He muttered. She nodded and moved under the covers.

"I'll just take a nap then." Violet eyes darted over to glare at the woman. Not fair. It took considerable effort to keep himself from pouting. She looked so damn comfortable curled up in those…100%...cotton… Lelouch's fingers trailed the comforter. Even with the gloves on, he knew that it would be cloud soft to the touch. He growled and forced himself off the bed before he could have second thoughts. She was tempting him and they both knew it.

"Bitch." He muttered.

"Slut." Cheese-kun called back. He glowered at the stuffed…thing that hid the immortal. He didn't have time for this. He grabbed his mask and donned it.

He hadn't even gotten 5 steps out of his room before he was bombarded by a mob of black dressed people.

Shouts of "Zero-sama!" "You're alive!" "You should take better care of yourself!" hit him like a wave.

The cloaked teen raised a hand, easily silencing the group. He lowered his hand and swept the other hand to the side.

"Thank you for your concern. Words cannot express how fortunate I feel to have you all show such concern for me. That said, I apologize for the worry I must have caused you all. I choose to overwork myself rather than rest and in another situation that could have cost us. It was my decision and my mistake, one I assure you will not be made again. I ask you all to make this promise as well. Overextending oneself leaves you stretched too thin to work efficiently."

The crowd nodded obediently and with relief. Kallen came in front of Zero and looked up at him with concern.

"Is there anything I can do to help you? You know…lighten your load?" she asked. Zero smiled beneath his mask.

"No. What you do now is acres more than enough. More than anyone else, I ask you to take my words to heart." The pilot blushed and nodded quickly. Her face lit up with a smile as she gave a slight bow and made her leave like the others.

"Do you train, or are you just naturally like that?" a voice asked. Zero tensed minutely before looking over his shoulder to find his accomplice standing behind him.

"Like what?"

"Slutty. I don't know if you realize it, but when you talk to people you don't hate, people can easily mistake it for flirting. A certain someone wouldn't be happy. He strikes me as possessive." C.C. said. Lelouch glowered beneath the mask. (2)

"Shouldn't you be _napping_?" he bit out. She shrugged.

"Couldn't miss your speech. Nap starts now though." She said, turning on her heel and reentering their room. Zero glared after her and let out a mute sigh. Sometimes he wondered why he tolerated her, let alone liked her.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

~Abandoned warehouse in the ghettos~

The 3 members of the Engineering Corps entered the abandoned warehouse at 10:57. Lloyd was confident, not even taking their surroundings into consideration. But Cecile was. And as wary as she was about this, she did trust Suzaku. They'd be okay. Right?

They entered to find Lelouch, Sayoko and Lakshata already seated at the round table at the center of the room under the lone lit lamp. The women seemed curious while Lelouch sat reclined in his seat, calm as if he were in his own home. Lloyd's face contorted into a scowl.

"YOU!" he raged, marching right up to Lelouch, the only male in the room, thus all he needed to match to Suzaku's description of his 'friend'. ('friend' because people who cared about you would try to fill your mind with lies like anyone but him being the best scientist). He'd leave Lakshata for later. "You think she's better than _me_?" he half asked, half growled. Lelouch chuckled.

"No. Everything he and I said were lies." He stated. All three scientists blinked in confusion.

"What?!" They asked, Lloyd and Cecile looking over at Suzaku in confusion. The brunette gave them a reassuring smile.

"Sorry, it was just the easiest way to get you here." The 3 stared at him blankly. Well, it wasn't as if they could deny that.

"Well? What did you want?" Lloyd asked in annoyance, crossing his arms. Lelouch gave the man a placating smile.

"Wait a moment. We're waiting on two more guests." As if cued, the entrance swung open. Jeremiah Gottwald and Villetta Nu entered the building slowly, clearly armed, looking around suspiciously. They approached the table. Jeremiah scanned the group and frowned in confusion.

"Asplund? Croomy? _Kururugi?! _What are you doing here?" he asked. Cecile smiled weakly.

"We don't quite know yet." She answered. Meanwhile, Villetta's eyes were locked onto Lelouch's.

"You…look familiar." She said slowly. The prince chuckled.

"All will be explained in due time. Please have a seat." The adults eyed one another warily. Those in the military were already acquainted and the researchers also knew one another. But both the black haired boy and the maid were unknowns to everyone but Suzaku. Lelouch crossed his legs elegantly, leaned back in his chair and folded his hands neatly in his lap.

"First of all, I thought it best to let you know that electrical devices, phones, pagers, cameras, etc., do not work in this building." Several shocked expressions and everyone checking such devices later, the room was quiet again.

"Before we begin discussing the reason for this meeting, we ask that none of you speak about the matters in this room to any outside this group." Lelouch said. Villetta frowned.

"What makes you think we'd honor such a request?" she asked.

"If you don't want to honor the request, you're welcome to leave without the information." Jeremiah and Villetta's eyes narrowed slowly. "Honestly though," the teen added, "We trust you all. Thus the reason we've invited you here." He said.

"Trust us? You don't even _know_ us." Jeremiah muttered. Lelouch smiled.

"You'd be surprised." He said. They all blinked but remained silent. "Does anyone wish to leave now?" He asked. Silence. Lelouch smirked. "Good. Suzaku, the door, please." He said with a wave of his hand.

Seven pairs of eyes followed Suzaku as he went over to the entrance and pressed a button to the side of it. A metal screen came down to cover the outsides of every door and window. The brunette returned to his seat.

"Was…was that necessary?" Cecile stammered. Suzaku waved off the concern.

"It's just to make sure no one gets in or eavesdrops. You guys can still get out on your own easily." He stated. Lelouch nodded.

"Now, as I'm sure you all know, this is Suzaku Kururugi. And this is Sayoko Shinozaki, my maid." Lelouch said with a flick of his wrist. Jeremiah's eyes narrowed slowly.

"Isn't it customary to introduce one's self first?" he stated. Lelouch's eyelids lowered and he gave the man a loving smile.

"You're right. I…simply hoped that _you_ would be able to introduce me." The others watched in confusion as Jeremiah leaned closer to get a better look at the teen. His eyes widened slowly.

"No…" He shook his head in disbelief. "You…you can't be Lu…Lu…"

"Lelouch vi Britannia." He finished for the man, "Eldest child of the late consort Marianne vi Britannia." Jeremiah's eyes welled up and his shoulders hunched. He stood slowly and came to stand before the prince, reaching out to gently cup the teen's face in his hands. Violet eyes that glowed with intelligence and warmth, a regal posture and the undeniable air of one born from power…of one who knew power (like Schneizel). The man fell to one knee and bowed deeply. Lelouch extended his arms out to the man, an invitation. He needn't tell Jeremiah twice. The man stood and wrapped his arms around the slender prince, shaking slightly.

"My prince…I'm so glad you're well." He whispered.

"Oh my, a prince? Why isn't your name familiar?" Lakshata asked.

"Both of Lady Marianne's children were deemed dead 7 years ago. There was no need to know their names." Lloyd said absently. Jeremiah withdrew himself from the embrace with an alarmed gasp.

"Lady Nunnally. Is she…"

"Nunnally's alive, simply hidden." Suzaku stated. Jeremiah's head shot up and he looked at Suzaku with uncertainty.

"Relax. Suzaku is a dear friend of my sister and I, not to mention the one we consider to be our knight." Lelouch said, relaxing back into his seat. The green haired man nodded.

"This is all well and good, but it doesn't explain why _we're_ here." Lakshata stated as she blew out a puff of smoke from her pipe. Lelouch and Suzaku spared a glanced at each other. Suzaku sighed.

"We're planning a coup d'état to overthrow and take control of the Holy Britannian Empire." The brunette said. Lelouch shot him a look. _Blunt much?_ There were several gasps.

"Su…Suzaku. That's _treason_." Cecile whispered.

"We're fully aware of what we're doing. Rest assured that we wouldn't even be bothering with such a thing if we didn't have a significant chance of succeeding." Lelouch said. Villetta clutched at the table's edge, nails digging into the wood.

"Whether or not you _could_ win is irrelevant. You can't just tell us that you're planning treason and us expect to…" She froze, slowly leaning back her seat.

"It's you." She whispered, "The student from Shinjuku." Jeremiah's eyes shifted from his partner in alarm and then to Lelouch.

"Is that true? Were you there? Helping…_him_?" he asked quietly. Lelouch tilted his head slightly and stared him down with a sense of calm.

"It was." Jeremiah's face scrunched into a look of betrayal.

"Why? Why would you do that?! Why would you go against your father? And help _that man_! He killed Prince Clovis!" The pilot raised a hand to reach out to cup Lelouch's face. "What…what has he done to you?" (3) he finished in a whisper. Lelouch closed his eyes, a bitter, almost amused smile creeping onto his lips.

"Nothing…_I_ am Zero." There was a period of silence as everyone processed this information. Lakshata was the first to break the silence.

"Oh my, playing for keeps, aren't we?" she asked with a chuckle. Lelouch laughed softly.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" Villetta barked, "You KILLED a prince. You killed you _brother._" She murmured.

"Prince Clovis ordered the slaughter of countless people for no good reason. Regardless of rank, nationality or relation, there's no excuse for his actions." Suzaku stated looking away.

"Which is quite a shame; I actually liked Clovis…just not as a ruler." Lelouch said quietly. "And as for my father, he is a horrid king and an even worse father. He couldn't honestly care less about whether or not his people or even his children died." He muttered.

"You're wrong! The Emperor is a great man!" Villetta countered. Lelouch raised an eyebrow.

"You mean to tell me you know the Emperor better than his children do? Are you that close?" he asked with a slightly mocking tone. The woman stalled then glowered, looking reading to get up.

Suzaku put a hand on Lelouch's shoulder and activated his geass, forcing a blanket of calm over them. Villetta closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Her past anger seemed almost nonexistent. _'Maybe the boy has a point. The Emperor is his __**father**__ after all…'_ she thought.

Jeremiah stared at the prince for a long moment.

"What's Orange?" He asked. The prince blinked, and for a moment he actually seemed confused.

"...Orange? Oh, _Orange._" He smirked, "I'll explain that to you later." Jeremiah nodded solemnly.

"So…All of that aside, you actually wish for us…to _help_ you? To go against Britannia?" Cecile asked warily. The boys nodded. Lloyd rolled his eyes.

"I don't see how this benefits us." He murmured, Lakshata nodding in agreement. Lelouch hummed softly.

"If I'm not mistaken, you two are still in the process of creating a working flight system for the Knightmare frames, correct?" Both looked at him in surprise. No one even knew about that yet. The prince smiled calmly as he retrieved a manila folder from beneath the table.

"I have in my hands the blueprints for the next 3 generations of the Lancelot and Guren models," he smirked, "as well as those of other functioning Knightmares you two won't be making for nearly two years." Both scientists were drooling, all but wagging their nonexistent tails. Lakshata quickly wiped at her lip.

"If we're going to make them regardless, why should we get them from you? How do we even know your _'blueprints'_ are legitimate?" she asked. Lelouch chuckled softly.

"You're more than welcome to look them over for verification. Besides," he gave them a smile that would make a succubus jealous, "Imagine how far you can get once you've bypassed these _stepping stones_. You two are capable of _so_ much more." The two scientists stared at the folder for a second, shared a look, and sat back in their chairs.

"It's an honor to be working for you, you Majesty." Lakshata giggled happily.

"Truly." Lloyd added. Cecile sighed, while the remaining Britannians stared at them incredulously.

"Fine, I'll ask. How exactly did you two get your hands on those blueprints?" Cecile asked. The boys shared a long look, seeming to talk to one another through their eyes.

"Wherein that's concerned: Ask no questions and we'll tell you no lies." Lelouch stated. Suzaku turned to look at the two army officials.

"Will you help us?" he asked. With this group of people, at the very least, they wanted free will driven support. …Although looking back, Villetta's help had been coerced. The brunette sighed inwardly, hopefully that wouldn't be an issue now.

Jeremiah simply stared at the Eleven for a long moment before turning to look at his most precious prince. He couldn't quite understand why the teen had done everything he had. Why he'd gone out of his way to defy his homeland. Lelouch met the soldier's stony gaze evenly, confidently, with no trace of remorse or fear. The prince extended his hand over the table, palm up. Jeremiah smiled.

"_Jeremiah-kun... Part of being a leader is having strength of will. The strength to control. Always knowing what decisions your subordinates will make before they even make them. He heh… If only because you've already made the decision for them." (4)_

Jeremiah placed his hand in Lelouch's and smiled. He'd be an excellent emperor. Villetta looked back and forth from Lelouch to Jeremiah.

"Sir…are you sure?" She asked quietly. He closed his eyes and smirked.

"Yes. There is no other option. He's going to rule one day, with or without us by his side. I know it." The dark skinned woman took a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright. I'll join you too." She said. Both teens smiled with well-hidden relief. Lelouch cocked his head to the side to gaze curiously at Sayoko.

"And you?" he asked. She smiled motherly down at him.

"Of course, Lelouch-sama. I'll always be by your side." She murmured. Cecile looked at Sayoko curiously as well.

"With all due respect, in what way will a maid be of help? Um…besides the obvious of course." She asked. The others looked at the woman in question.

"I'm the successor of the Shinozaki School of martial arts." She stated sweetly. Everyone with exception of those in the know stared at her in surprise.

"She's something akin to a ninja." Suzaku said. "Incredible physical prowess, skill in the use of small bombs and weaponry, as well as being able to easily and flawless disguise herself as anyone's double, regardless of gender."

To say that the others were impressed was an understatement. Geez, none of them had such a cool resume…Although Lloyd and Lakshata would be quick to say otherwise if questioned.

"So…what's the plan?" Villetta asked warily.

"For now, nothing." Lelouch said. "We'll call upon the rest of you as needed, but for now we ask that you continue with business as usual."

"That also means continuing to act as if nothing's changed. Lelouch is still dead and you guys still hate me." Suzaku added wryly.

"Lakshata, Lloyd and Cecile, I want you three to start working on the later prototypes for the Knightmares. I'm going to provide with a building where you two can work on them. In the mean time, continue to work at your jobs at the pace you're already at. Anything new you want to try can be done in private." Lelouch stated. Lakshata blinked slowly then raised an eyebrow.

"Work at my job? You do realize that I'm work for you _already_?" She asked.

"We realize that. But for now, the Black Knights are not to know about this. They're two different missions that we can't afford to combine yet." Suzaku stated.

"I don't get it. Do you intend to have Suzaku continue to fighting _against_ you _for_ you?" Cecile asked.

"Yes." The boys chorused. Lelouch chuckled, "It seems convoluted, I know. But we've already figured out how we plan to accomplish our goal."

"Is it good to be keeping secrets from your men?" Lakshata asked.

"The more people involved, the more difficult this is. Besides, I doubt the Black Knights would be so quick to accept that they're inadvertently aiding and being aided by a prince of the very empire that's oppressed them." A voice stated dryly.

"And this is C.C." Lelouch stated with a wave of his hand. At her introduction, the immortal woman dropped from the ceiling to land gracefully before them, green hair billowing out around her like a cloak. Instead of her normal prison garb, she wore a long dark blue sundress.

"Oh my. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you're involved in this as well." Lakshata said.

"You know this girl?" Jeremiah asked in confusion. Lakshata grinned in a Cheshire-like way.

"She's the Black Knights' 2nd in command." Lelouch stated, shooting the scientist a glare before she could say anything. The woman pouted and attended to her pipe. Lloyd's green eyes shifted over each member of the Unholy Trinity. His eyes came to rest on Lakshata. Her eyes widened and her gaze followed the same path his eyes had. She looked at C.C. last, who smirk. The scientist let out a chocked giggle.

"We are NOT going into that now." Lelouch growled shooting glares at all three. The three barely managed to quell their amusement. Cecile slowly closed her eyes and shook her head. She didn't even want to know. Jeremiah, Villetta, and Sayoko all looked curious but remained respectfully silent on the topic. C.C. placed a hand on Lelouch's shoulder and leaned down to whisper.

"Slut." The prince covered his eyes with a hand.

"I swear to god…" he muttered.

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**That was pretty long! (Don't get used to it ^_^) **

**I hoped you guys like this chapter, and I apologize if it seemed weird. I don't know if it's just me, but the dream and the rest of the story seem like they were written by different people. I know there was a bit of break between when they we written, but it's still weird. Yes there was some gender bending in there, simply as a whim. So sue me.**

**(1) So those words I used in the dream, if anyone wanted to know:**

**Solipsism - the belief that the only thing somebody can be sure of is that he or she exists, and that true knowledge of anything else is impossible**

**Nihilism – the belief that human values are worthless and thus life/human experience is pointless.**

**Narcissistic - excessive self-admiration and self-centeredness**

**(2) I honestly feel this way. The guy just screams "do me" or "let me do you" in the classiest way possible. He's just so cool like that. (Lulu is actually my all time favorite character)**

**(3) This really made me want to put in some sort of Zero/Lelouch sex scene. If someone makes one, PLEASE TELL ME!! ****Serena the Hikari of Love has been making stories with that pairing…and I'm mildly addicted now. DARN YOU SERENA!! AS IF I'M NOT OVERDOSING ON SUZU/LULU AS IT IS!!!**

**Er…ahem…sorry about that. ^_^;**

**(4) If it's not clear, that's a made up quote from Marianne.**

**That's it for now. Until next time. …Go ahead and click that little green button down there.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the incredible delay. I haven't been doing great (mind wise) and hit a bit of a slump. Also, I stopped midway and wrote the end to Chapter 6. So I've basically been going back and forth between the two. In fact, Chapter 6 is a bit more thought out then this one, though it came to me on a whim during an 8 hour bus ride.**

**Let me also say that I put no prior thought into these stories, so if the chapters seem clustered, it's because my brain is clustered. Sorry! :-)**

**Also, I think I'm going to get a beta. Every time I look over my stories I keep finding mistakes. But since no one's mentioned it, it isn't that bad. Nonetheless, if anyone out there is interested in being the beta for this story or my other one, do let me know! **

**-----~~~-----~~~-----~~~-----**

Lloyd's eyes flitted over the documents before him, flipping through the pages with such speed that Suzaku wondered if he had even absorbed any of it. Lakshata on the other hand, had several sheets spread out before her and seemed to be reading them all at the same time. Cecile read more slowly and carefully, a hand running straight down the page as she finished each line.

It was 2:15 in the morning. Jeremiah, Villetta, and Sayoko had been dismissed, while C.C. had simply left. The scientists and the other 2 members of the Unholy Trinity remained at that table under the bright light of the lamp. Lelouch sat reclined in his in his chair, watching the trio absently out of the corner of his eyes as he read from a book.

"Incredible." Cecile breathed as she set aside the blueprints for the Shinkirō.

"Not incredible. Brilliant." Lloyd murmured with a smirk as he set down Lancelot Albion's booklet. Lakshata let out a soft giggle, leaned back in her seat and smoked from her pipe. She cocked her head to the side to smile at Lelouch.

"Stepping stones, hmm?" she said. Lelouch smiled calmly from behind his book.

"_Mere_ stepping stones." He answered. Cecile leaned forward and propped her elbows on the table.

"So what exactly do you want us to build?" She asked.

"A new Knightmare for each of us." Suzaku stated.

"And one for Kallen while you're at it." Lelouch murmured from behind his book. The other 4 raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that wise?" Suzaku asked with a blank stare. The prince gave an absent flick of his wrist as if to shrug. Suzaku closed his eyes and leaned back into his chair, body straight yet relaxed, looking ready to take a nap.

"She'll get it after she's knighted, hmm?" he said quietly. Lelouch nodded in response, a smile flickering on his lips before disappearing. He closed the book and set it down.

"The finished 10th will be the end." He stated. "Phenomenal in ways never before and never again to be seen. I don't care how many…prototypes…you need to build until you're satisfied." He propped his elbows on the table and clasped his fingers together, letting his chin rest on their backs. Violet eyes narrowed as a slow, calm smirk crept upon his lips. Suzaku's face lightened with a small smile of his own.

"If we're going to screw the world over…" Lelouch murmured.

"We may as well do it good." Suzaku finished.

X----------------X----------------X

"TAKE THIS, MOTHERFUCKERRRRRRR!!!" Kallen roared at her opponent as she shoved the arm of the Guren Mk-II straight through the enemy Knightmare. She reeled backed and the pilot ejected himself just in time to miss the machine's explosion.

"YEAH! Way to go Kallen! The next one's mine, okay?!" Tamaki shouted (uselessly) from somewhere on her left.

The red-head grinned with excitement and pride. Things had been going great. Classes were going along nicely, Lakshata had given the Guren a fantastic tune-up and she was a literal whirlwind on the battlefield. Not to mention Zero. Their leader's words had added gallons of fuel to the flame in her heart. _"'More than anyone else, I want you to take my words to heart.'"_ she remembered happily. All she needed right now to make her week complete was a drop in from their residential white knight.

Now, Kallen was a good person (for the most part). She rarely ever beat up or even fought someone who didn't _totally_ have it coming. That said, it should have come as no surprise when the Lancelot came speeding down the path of the forest area she was presently stationed in. Green eyes grew wide in delight before slowly narrowing. _"Oh ho ho ho…this is gonna be good…"_ she thought.

The crimson Knightmare charged the white one, skidding to a halt as it attacked with a low swiping kick. Suzaku barely had time to dodge. Although he had more experience, Kallen's almost haphazard style of attack made it difficult to fight without dealing out too much damage or incurring a lot himself. He reeled back and shot at her several times. When she dodged those with ease, the Honorary Britannian decided to switch up his tactics.

He charged her, shooting several shots at her. Distracted with dodging, she didn't notice the other Knightmare's proximity until it was only a few meters away. Suzaku crouched and spun, getting her with a hard kick to the side. The red-head growled in annoyance, allowing the Knightmare to move to the side with the flow of the attack to lessen the force of the damage.

But stop, she did not. The Guren leaned back on its heels as it skid then propelled itself forward, jumping high into the air as it did so. Kallen twisted her Knightmare and turned it upside down. She extended a hand towards the other frame directly below her, the center of its palm becoming a menacing red.

Suzaku's eyes widened at the action. "_Is she planning to blast me from there? At such a close range? …She wouldn't…"_ Kallen grinned manically from her cockpit. Guren's hand glowed as the shot became fully charged.

Suzaku's pupils contracted in shock. Green eyes became tinged with red as the brunette's mind went into overdrive. The Lancelot's blue shot cannon began charging up at emergency level rates, its arm swinging up to meet the incoming attack.

The area fell silent. For a moment everything and everyone became still. Crimson light met cobalt as the rivals clashed, the immediate sky around them darkening with the black lightning that came forth from their blast. The sheer force of the attacks created a wind so strong that it all but blew the other Knightmares away. The Guren was shot back up into the air and the Lancelot was driven into a newly formed crater in the ground.

Back in the Black Knight's base, everyone stared at the screen in shock. Lakshata's fingers fell lax and her pipe fell from her lips to the ground with a soft clink. Zero slowly lowered himself into his chair, his own fingers shaking minutely.

In the Engineering Corps laboratory, Lloyd could be found staring at the screen in horror, hands gripping the consol that housed the video screen so tightly it dented beneath his fingers. Cecile had fallen to her knees, lips parted in awe.

"Oh dear lord." She whispered.

"MY LANCELOTTTTT!!!"

X----------------X----------------X

"My baby…" Lakshata whimpered. Kallen cringed. They were currently in the hanger of the BK's base. Without words, both sides had simply retreated for the day. As it were, many of the Knightmares were damaged by the backlash of that final attack, not to mention those that had been injured through _actual_ fighting.

Lakshata was the image of melancholy. She weakly lifted a piece that had fallen of Guren's leg. She pressed it onto the machine. For a moment it held, before falling back to the ground and taking several other parts with it. The normally composed woman fell to her knees with a sob. Even C.C. looked concerned. Two of the female knights gently picked the woman up by her arms and led/dragged her away. Kallen watched them go with half lidded eyes, her Guilt-o-meter™ already at 75%.

"Kallen." A voice said from behind her. It was calm, eerily so, lacking emotions of any kind. The red-head paled and tensed, as did everyone else in the vicinity. For once, they were grateful for the mask that hid their leader's face. The ace gulped and bit her lip.

"Yes?" she replied meekly.

"Face me when you speak." He ordered quietly. The girl took a deep breath and slowly turned to face Zero.

"Yes?" She answered again. It took all the energy she had left to focus on his mask. Even then, his posture gave nothing away. Zero's entire form seemed calm, though not in a relaxed way.

"That was reckless." He murmured. "Incredibly so. Look around you…At the damaged you've caused." He said, holding his arms out at his side in a slow, deliberate manner completely lacking the flourish it normally held. Kallen shut her eyes tightly and opened them again allowing her eyes the scan the hanger as ordered. The damage was pretty bad. Very few of their Knightmares had remained in usable condition, let alone unharmed. She bit the inside of her lip hard, eyes shutting closed tightly again as her head dropped in shame. Guilt-o-meter™ at 94%. It couldn't get much worse than this.

"You endangered the lives of you comrades, of Kururugi…of _yourself_. What would you have had us do if he had survived and you hadn't?" he asked. Her body shook minutely. She could hear to soft clicks of Zero's boot heels echoing as he spoke. They were getting closer with each word. Guilt-o-meter™ at 100%.

They stopped. Kallen's eyes opened slowly to stare down at the long, slender legs clothed in black in her view. Gloved hands cupped her face and her eyes began to overflow with tears. Zero tilted the girl's head up to face him, her tears now running freely. His thumbs gently wiped away the tear streaks as they formed.

"Nevertheless," he murmured as he tilted his head to the side, "Now more than ever…I am completely, _utterly_, awed by you." Kallen's lips parted, the girl looking completely ready to get down on her knees and beg for forgiveness. She would commit seppuku if she had to. No, she would spend the rest of her life doing community serv…she blinked. And blinked again as the words sank in.

"Awe?" she asked in confusion. Was there some other meaning for the word that she didn't know? Like in another language, perhaps? Zero chuckled softly.

"Well now, no one can say you don't get the job done, hmm?" he said, letting a hand rest comfortingly atop her head.

"And we did promise to strike fear into the hearts of the strong. No doubt they're afraid now." C.C. added with a smirk. Kallen's eyes lit up. Zero's countenance had returned to its relaxed calm state.

"Never be afraid to give it your all. But please, do keep kamikaze attacks to a minimum." He advised. The ace grinned and nodded.

"Of course, sir! Rest assured, next time I'll kick their asses without them." She said with a smirk. She took two steps back and bowed before leaving. She needed to go apologize to Lakshata.

Zero and C.C. remained in the hanger as it quickly emptied out. C.C. cocked her head towards her accomplice.

"This is going to be an issue." She murmured, "It almost makes me want to tell her." The leader let out a soft sigh.

"That's not an option right now. We'll just have to trust Suzaku to keep her at arm's length on his side while we reel her in on ours." He said. The witch wrapped her arms around herself and nodded.

"How are we going to make it up to Lakshata?" She asked. Zero turned his head to stare up at the ceiling.

"I'm banking on the chance that she'll be too busy putting Kallen through the ringer to seek revenge on _us_ for _her_ actions." The witch chuckled.

X----------------X----------------X

"I'm going to _murder_ her." Lloyd growled. He was currently pacing to and fro in front of Lancelot's hollow in the hanger. Cecile stood to the side with Suzaku looking over his newly treated injuries. The brunette had just spent the last 15 minutes staring blankly at a wall while being bandaged. The fact that they were alive was a miracle in itself. _"That girl freaking tried to KILL me. I didn't even think it was possible to ACTUALLY see your life flash before your eyes."_ He thought, massaging his temples.

"Now, Lloyd-" She started.

"No…NO! I'm going to make her _wish_ I had murdered her! And YOU," he barked spinning around to face his own pilot. "Why…didn't…you…DODGE!!" he roared. Both cringed. Suzaku looked away.

"Dodging wouldn't have helped much with that attack. Not to mention the amount of damage it would cause to the area." He said quietly. Lloyd's eyes narrowed predatorily and he stalked over to the brunette and grabbed him by his collar.

"I couldn't give less of…" he started in a growl. The teen closed his eyes and activated his Geass, all but drowning the livid scientist in calm. Lloyd stalled, blinked down at him slowly and let go. He turned around and walked several steps away slowly before stopping.

"Suzaku?" He asked quietly. The Honorary Britannian hummed in acknowledgment. The man looked over his shoulder at his pilot. "I don't know what you just did, but I'd rather you didn't do it again." He murmured, a clear warning beneath his words. Suzaku simply smiled serenely as Cecile watched them with confusion.

"Then don't give me a reason to." He answered. The man's eyelids flittered low and he scoffed, turning away.

"That boy's a bad influence on you." He muttered. The brunette chuckled fondly and grinned.

"Even if he's a good influence on my performance?" Lloyd rolled his eyes. "_Brats. At least he had the 10__ths__ to work on…" _he thought.

X----------------X----------------X

A violet haired woman sat behind a large desk, eyes scanning documents with increasing irritation. They were summaries of all of the Empire's battles with the Black Knights. None went particularly well, to say the least. Only she and the Eleven boy had given any real results. _"Damn that Zero!"_ she thought. Matching violet eyes narrowed as a scowl contorted her features.

"You face will get stuck that way." Cornelia li Britannia's head shot up, her expression softening at the sight her dear younger sister, Euphemia li Britannia. The Second Princess raised an elegant hand and motioned for the girl to come closer. Euphemia smiled and came to her sister's side. Cornelia turned and placed her hands at either side of her sister's waist and gave a thoughtful hum. The Sub-Viceroy tilted her head in concern. She wasn't getting fat, was she? The elder looked up at her after a while and smirked. To Euphemia's surprise, she was spun and pulled into Cornelia's lap. The pinkette let out a squeak.

"Now, what was that you were saying?" She asked. The girl leaned back against her sister and smiled.

"If you scowl like that for too long, your face will get stuck that way." She said cheerily. The woman tilted her head her to side.

"I see." She murmured. "Well then," She separated her fingers and began poking her sister in various places on her side. Lavender eyes grew wide and Euphemia squirmed, letting out little shocked giggles. "Shouldn't _you_ stop laughing like that? You face will get stuck that way." She continued with calm, as if she weren't presently tickling the breath out of someone.

The younger princess struggled harder, trying with little success to suppress her laughter. She grabbed onto the desk and pulled herself forward with all the strength she had, actually forcing Cornelia up out of her seat. It wasn't long before she was able to turn herself over in the grip and fight back.

"Aneue, Aneue. Come on… you know… you want to." The young princess said between giggles. Cornelia bit her lip and leaned forward her sister, violet hair draping over them, her body shaking with successfully held in laughter.

"Your highness, I…" both women froze and looked up. Guilford stood at the doorway, a clipboard in hand, frozen in slight surprise. Only slight. Were it anyone else, coming in without knocking and seeing two princesses in what could definitely be called a compromising position without any background information on their relationship, an assassination order may very well have been given. But not Guilford, for he knew his princess and her adoration for her pink haired sister well. The corner of his lip lifted in a ghost of a smile but disappeared quickly. Cornelia gave him a blank stare. The position they were in simply hadn't happened.

"Yes? Did you need something?" She asked, not even bothering to get up from where she'd pinned Euphemia to the desk. The pinkette clearly wasn't pleased, looking away with her face red from the awkwardness (for her) and embarrassment of the situation. Guilford closed the door behind him and entered the room, bowing before he placed several packets on the desk.

"Here are the status reports from our men stationed in Kyoto. It seems that the Japan Liberation Front as well as Kyoto Six have decided to join with the Black Knights. There are documents included that will be distributed once you've decided our next course of action." The violet haired woman nodded, picked up the documents and smoothly fell back into her seat. Euphemia stood slowly, back slightly sore from the desk edge, and sighed in relief at being able to not only breathe again, but to leave. Shooting Cornelia a warm smile, she quickly made her exit.

The Viceroy set aside several of the packets, focusing on the on top. She gazed at it blankly before setting it down again. She leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs and folded her arms in her lap.

"They're getting more supporters among the Elevens. If these alliances begin to spread to the other nations, it will be that much harder to crush them." She muttered. "If this keeps up…it won't be long before Aniue decides to step in." she finished as she stared down at the paper, at an image of Zero and Princess Kaguya Sumeragi shaking hand with the 3 groups gathered around. Violet eyes narrowed.

"Supposing he hasn't already." She muttered.

**-----~~~-----~~~-----~~~-----**

**Okay…that's it for now. Expect the next chapter within the next 2-3 days.**

**From the first part – Lulu and Suzu's last words. As you can see, I love sex jokes. Don't know why. **

**There was a little pseudo shojo-ai action in this one. Just because I wanted to introduce them at some point and that seemed like a nice way to do it. I don't know if it seemed OOC, but personally, Cornelia strikes me as the type to be overly affectionate with Euphie in private, the way Lelouch is with Nunnally all the time.**

**I also had my first battle scene! I hope it was alright. If it wasn't clear, the reason that the damage is so bad is because of the proximity. When blasts are shot from far away, friction and other sciencey stuff in the air lessen the force upon impact. Not only that, shooting large things at the ground tends to do a lot of damage and cause earthquakes and such (like in DBZ when Cell doesn't believe Goku would shoot a blast that strong at the ground – LOTS OF DAMAGE, I can't stress that enough. ^_^).**

**I also alluded to an earlier chapter where Lloyd comments on Lelouch's affect on Suzaku's performance. Lancelot love high hormone levels. ^_~**

**FYI, it's been a long time since I watched the show, so the order of the events may be a bit off. Bear with me on that.**

**Anyway, please read and review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again. Like I said, this was written while I was writing the last chapter (can you guess which part?). **

**To Spunkay – yes, Kallen's eye color was a mistake. All the pictures I have of her don't show her eyes well enough. So I took a shot in the dark. Too lazy to go back and change it. So instead, I now decree that the color once expressed as "blue" will now be called "green" and vice versa! (No, not really. I **_**wish**_** I had that kind of power. U.U)**

**This was a long chapter for me. 8 pages even without the ANs. Incredible considering I had initially intended to put more events into this chapter. But I stopped myself because I wanted to update this soon and it wouldn't particularly matter one way or the other. **

**For readers of my other story, I SWEAR I'm going to update very soon. This story is just easier for me to write so I tend to go back to it first. Sorry. ^_^; **

**X=========X=========X**

"A Field trip? …Today?" Lelouch asked in confusion. It was early morning and their group sat gathered on the lawn under a large oak tree as they waited for school to begin. Shirley leaned forward and slammed her hands on the cloth they at on as if it were a desk. She gave the prince an exasperated stare.

"How do you not know about it?" she asked. "It's all Mr. Trimmer's talked about for days." Rivalz chuckled and shrugged.

"Come on, Shirl. How many his classes has Lelouch actually gone to this week? Or this month for that matter?" Suzaku and Shirley frowned disapprovingly.

"You really shouldn't skip so much Lulu." She said with a pout. The black haired teen lay back against the tree.

"Why shouldn't I? I don't go and my grades are still better than his." He stated nodding towards Rivalz. The blue haired boy pouted.

"Not _that_ much better." He said. Lelouch raised an eyebrow.

"Are you even passing?" he asked.

"YES, I AM passing, thank you very much!"

"I guess that depends on what you mean by passing." A voice murmured. All heads turned to look at Nina who, at the silence, looked up, blushed and looked away. Rivalz's eyes widened and he stared at her in betrayal.

"Et tu, Nina?" he half asked, half wailed. Milly chuckled and patted the mousy girl on the shoulder approvingly. Kallen had a hand over her mouth and was turned away to keep from laughing. Lelouch smirked at a point well made, Suzaku smiled, and Shirley put a hand over her eyes and sighed in exasperation.

15 minutes later, the group split up. Most went off to their respective classes while Lelouch, Rivalz, and Shirley got on the charter bus they would take to their destination: Britannia's Ancient History Museum – A study of eras before the start of the Imperial Calendar (that's indicated by the a.t.b.).

Lelouch stared out at the passing scenery unseeingly. Every now and then, one of his friends would say or do something that required his attention, but other than that, he spaced out. Which may have been why he didn't notice the two nondescript cars that circled them, at times staying at one side, moving behind, then ahead, then to the other side, in no particular order.

Their bus stopped at the door of the museum their school had rented for the day. Its door opened, ready to release its teenaged load. At that time he did notice the small round object that rolled into the bus, as if someone had tossed it onto the top step. It rolled lazily along, kicked to and fro as the students began gathering their things. The prince leaned into the aisle and carefully picked up the small object.

"Whatcha got there, Lelouch?" Rivalz asked, leaning over the seat to see over his friend's shoulder. Lelouch scrutinized the small ball. It _looked_ harmless. He turned it over in his hands once more, blinking in surprise at the appearance of a small red light. Violet eyes grew wide. He didn't even have a chance to respond before the ball popped open, releasing what had been a highly pressurized gas into the air in a burst.

X=======X=======X

Violet eyes shot open in shock. Their owner blinked slowly, bleary with the smog of chloroform still in his system. He tried slowly to move, but found he couldn't. Not arms, nor legs, or even mouth. His limbs were bound with wire and his mouth covered and gagged with cloth.

Lelouch let out a mute sigh and stared up at the ceiling. It was a dark concrete, illuminated sporadically by a yellow light from outside the room. He turned his head to the right. A set of vertical bars a couple inches apart separated him from a long hallway made from the same dark concrete. The prince turned to his left. His eyes widened.

In the cage along with him were his history classmates. All 18 of them, tied up in some way. Most were still unconscious and those that weren't looked as if they wish they were. Lelouch's eyes narrowed and he scanned the crowd for a moment before his gaze met Rivalz's who was seated position a couple meters away. The younger boy stared at him with wide eyes before raising an eyebrow. _What do we do?_

Lelouch shrugged and went back to staring at the ceiling. Right now, there really wasn't much they could do. Their mobility was limited to slithering and his mind was still too muddy to consider a way to work with that.

The sound of several loud footsteps captured their attention, waking those still unconscious. 5 men, all wearing dark green jumpsuits appeared in their vision. They were Britannians.

"What should we do with 'em?" One of the men, a large, gruff looking one in his 40s asked. The man at the center of the group, lean but built, with dark red hair and blue eyes leered down at the group.

"Pick one to play with. Leave the others alone for now." He stated. The students gaped at their captors in horror. _Play with?_

A short man approached the bars gripping them tightly and smiling manically as he peered at them. He raised a hand and pointed at Shirley.

"That one! That one! The one with the tits!" He shouted. Several of the men grinned in delight, clearly agreeing with his tastes. Lelouch, Shirley, and Rivalz's eyes grew wide. The girl let out a muffled squeaking sound and tried to retreat into the wall behind her. The leader's eyes trailed her body before rolling. He let out an exasperated sigh.

"No." he stated. All heads turned to look at him.

"Why?!" His men whined.

"The last thing we need is leave a DNA trail through a child. And that one looks…especially fertile." He answered with a smirk. The girl in question turned a dark shade of crimson, visible even in the sparse lighting.

"To be on the safe side, just pick a boy." The group scowled and grumbled in annoyance. The leader frowned right back.

"A hole's a hole, alright? So either pick one or go fuck yourselves." He growled out. Suddenly happy with their option, the men peered into the cage in hope of finding a decent looking one. It wasn't long before they did.

"He's cute."

"Like a girl."

"You sure he ain't one?" another asked. The group stared at their new target, Lelouch, and tilted their heads. The black haired boy glared bloody murder back at them.

"Aww, look! He's angry!" one cooed. The prince's gaze darkened and for a moment they all stilled. Those were the eyes of a man who would likely chuckle while he tortured someone to death. They seemed to look down at them, despite the fact that he lay below them. As if to imply that _they_ were ones that should be afraid. And they were for a moment, scared breathless.

The leader's eyes widened and he took in a slow breath from his lips. Expression growing into one of lust, of excitement. A manic grin formed on his face.

"I want to be the one to break him." He breathed. His men watched him, the fear slowly fading from them, leaving the old excitement behind. They nodded, grins plastered on.

The large man reached into his pocket and took out a set of keys. Choosing the right one, he slid the cell opened and sauntered over to their prey. Taking care not to look into the teen's eyes – lest he turn to stone – he lifted the slim frame up and onto his shoulder. Shirley and Rivalz struggled, letting out muffled screams for their friend. Lelouch looked up at them from the large back. At his fear stricken face and her tear streaked one. His expression softened into a reassuring one. _Calm down, I'll be okay._ Both nodded, looking hopeful and preying the boy had a plan. After all, if anyone could get out of this, it was Lelouch.

The prince took care not to wince when he was dropped hard onto a thin mat from the high up place that was the enforcer's shoulder. The leader, Cross, got on the mat and straddled his prize. He smiled at the dark stare he received.

"That's right." He breathed, "Struggle, hate me, _scream_. Get angrier and angrier. I love those eyes, so calm and yet filled with so much _rage_. Beautiful." He leaned down and bit at Lelouch's earlobe, his hand trailing down the slender figure and reaching around cup the teen's ass. Violet eyes widened when he felt a finger try to push into from outside his clothing. The teen squirmed, shifting himself as much as he could in the position. The hand pulled away and joined the other in loosening his clothing.

"We get to play him next, right?" the short man asked eagerly. Cross chuckled.

"Oh yes." He murmured against Lelouch's ear, "You're _all_ going to get to play with him. For as long as you want. _You're ours now._" He finished in a whisper. Lelouch's eyes widened then narrowed, struggling more violently now.

Cross smirked and slammed the palm of one hand against the prince's neck, pressing him into the ground and momentarily cutting is airflow. The man reached into his waistband and pulled out a small dagger. Cross moved his hand so that the crook between his thumb and ring finger were pressed against the pale throat while the other digits curled around it. He took the dagger and pressed to tip lightly against Lelouch's neck, slowly trailing it down, slicing the boy's thin black clothes down the middle. A thin red line was left along the pale skin in its wake.

The captive closed his eyes tightly then opened them again. Tear filled eyes stared unseeing up at the ceiling, mind shattering levels of panic rising inside him. _"NO NO NO NO NO."_ He thought as the situation began to really sink in. _"They can't, they can't! Suzaku…Suzaku…where…plea-" he_ thought, the words becoming more erratic and unfocused as his cloths were fully lost…as his mind disappeared in turn.

Violet contacts slowly dissolved to reveal crimson eyes underneath, the wings of the Geass symbol flapping erratically. Cross pulled up off the teen and pulled the bound legs up so Lelouch lay on his back with his legs up at a 90 degree angle, resting against the redhead's chest. The man looked down at his toy, excited at the look of fear on the boy's face and the feel of the body shaking beneath his own. He grinned and let his fingers trace the ring of the boy's entrance, savoring every second of this moment. Cross blinked slowly when he noticed the change in the eyes that stared up at him. Blood red. They were brilliant, even better than before. His own eyes glittered with glee.

"_NO! NO! DON'T! GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME!_" The prince screamed in his head. Cross' eyes widened and he slowly got up, blue eyes glowing and rimmed with red.

"As you wish, My Lord." He murmured. Lelouch blinked slowly, eyes wide.

"_Untie me."_ He thought. Cross moved to stand behind the teen, drew a knife and began cutting the wire.

"Boss? What're you doing?" One of the men asked. The leader remained silent as he went about his work. The short man growled in annoyance and took a step forward. Lelouch head shot up and he tensed immediately. He glared wide eyed up at them.

"_Die."_

"Yes, My Lord!" the chorused. Each man drew his own knife and slit his throat. Cross came around to in front of his prince and got to work on the leg bindings, unperturbed by the group suicide behind him. Finished, Cross reached up and undid the cloth around Lelouch's mouth. The teen rubbed his wrists and then his lips before looking up at his captor. His eyes shifted to the tattered pieces of his own clothes, cut up in an effort to get them off him without untying him.

"Give me your clothes." He growled aloud. The leader complied immediately without thought.

"Where are my classmates and how do we get out of here?" Lelouch asked, his voice remaining barely above a whisper.

"The students are in the cells at the left end of the hall. The keys are in Big Ben's pocket. There's a secret passageway up to the main floor in the second to last door at the other end. The swipe card for the door is in your breast pocket." He said. The prince nodded.

"Is there anything or anyone else I should know about?" The man shook his head.

"Not here." He stated. Crimson eyes narrowed as the teen gave an acknowledging hum.

"Thank you." He murmured, "I want you to take your knife, cut off your dick, slit your wrists, gouge out your eyes and die." He stated without any emotion, as if it were a simple chore. Cross' eyes grew wide, and flickered for a moment in resistance. The red became solid again and the man gave him a warm smile.

"As you wish." Lelouch blinked slowly, looked away and sighed. Later he closed the door as he left the room, not bothering to check if his order would be followed. There was no doubt. Outside the room, the teen stopped and fell back against the door. He fell into a seated position and covered his eyes with his hands. He sat there, simply breathing, for several minutes.

"I'm losing my mind, aren't I…Euphie?" he whispered bitterly. His hands fell into his lap and he just stared at them for a moment before using them to push his body up off the ground.

"No thoughts. No thoughts." He sighed out. He made his way down the hall, taking the time to compose himself while he did. If nothing else, Lelouch was a good actor.

Lelouch entered the jail room, footsteps soft without the criminal's clunky boots. He walked up to the cell his classmates were in, the only occupied one in the area. When he began unlocking the cell, the teens looked up. They blinked once…twice…thrice.

"Lu…Lelouch?!" Rivalz cried happily. The black haired boy gave him a weary smile, now careful to keep his eyes unfocused and mind blank. For someone who could rarely be found not thinking, this was a _bit_ hard. Just a bit.

He walked into the cage and withdrew one the knives he'd pilfered from Big Ben when he'd gotten the keys. He untied Rivalz first, then handed him a knife and asked him to help untie the others. When that was done, they filed out of the room and down the hall towards the exit. Lelouch stopped at the right room. Just as he was about to swipe the card, he felt arms wrap around him from behind. Shirley buried her face in her friend's back.

"I'm so glad you're okay." She whispered as she slowly pulled away."But, how did you get away?"She asked. Lelouch closed his eyes and smiled calmly over his shoulder.

"I asked."

It was left at that. The other students were too exhausted to care _how_ they'd gotten out as long as they _were_ out. And just by the expression on his face, his friends knew to leave it alone, at least for now.

Later on they would find out that the containment cells they had been in were beneath the museum they had stopped in front of. How the group had gotten that built, they didn't know. As for their kidnappers, they were simply members of an black market ring that had probably been planning to set a ransom on them for some quick money.

X=======X=======X

C.C. sat before her accomplice, his face cupped in her hands. She stared into his eyes, at the black Geass symbol that seemed to have grown since the last time she'd seen it.

"It evolved." She stated. Suzaku frowned from his place beside Lelouch. Neither of them had taken Lelouch's recount of the day's events. The brunette had actually crushed the iron he'd been using at the time in shock. C.C. had stopped eating. From the expression on her face, it was clear she wouldn't be eating for several more hours if at all that day. They had been happy, yet unnerved by the death order but refrained from mentioning it.

Lelouch burned the 'new' clothes, showered twice, and then, _finally_, let his lovers comfort, coddle, and drown him in blissful feelings. Lelouch, being the person that he was, had already calmed himself (mostly) with rational thoughts before reaching home. Not to say that he didn't appreciate their efforts. They had worked wonders on his mood.

"What does that mean?" The youngest member of their group asked. C.C. massaged her temples.

"Remember Mao?" both boys cringed. Damn straight they remembered Mao. "Your Geass is going to continue to evolve until you have no control over it." She stated. "For now, that means losing the need to speak in order to give orders."

"What's next?" Lelouch asked. The girl shrugged.

"We won't know till it happens. In the mean time, you need to wear sunglasses until I can find stronger contacts for you." The prince nodded. He turned to look at his male lover, who winced. Lelouch blinked in surprise and looked away. That's right, although he couldn't _use_ his Geass on Suzaku anymore, the teen could still feel it when it was activated in his presence. He stared down at his hands in his lap. How long? How long would it be before he could look Suzaku in the eyes again? A strong hand took hold of his chin and turned his head. Suzaku stared at Lelouch's face, unable to meet the black haired boy's continuously shifting gaze.

"Damnit Lelouch!" the boy muttered. "Look at me. It's fine, okay? You can't hurt me, right?" he pressed. Lelouch scowled, eyes shifting to stare blankly at his boyfriend.

"I can't hurt you. I can't hurt you." He muttered. The black haired teen cocked his head upwards despite the grip on his chin and looked down at the brunette. "Are you sure?" he asked with mocking sweetness. "I'm not thinking right now. My words aren't commands." He pressed against Suzaku's chest and pushed him onto his back. He leaned down so that their faces were almost touching. His voice sobered.

"What do we know? _How_ do we know? As parts of my contract begin to disappear, how long will it be before you're affected as well? How can we know if it'll affect you if we don't test it out?" he finished with a tempting whisper. Suzaku's eyes widened then narrowed. His Geass activated and Lelouch's body visibly relaxed though he didn't move. Crimson eyes fell closed and Lelouch slowly sat up but didn't move from atop Suzaku.

"We don't know. We won't know. It's the future. So isn't it alright that we can't know?" A voice said thoughtfully. Both boys looked over at the witch. She had gotten up from the bed and now sat at the windowsill, staring out at the moon above them. "Speak no evil, think no evil, feel no evil, and we'll be fine, hmm?" Suzaku deactivated his power and stared up at the ceiling with a sigh. Lelouch simply gazed past C.C. at the night sky.

"It's not that simple." The prince muttered absently.

"Isn't it?" Suzaku asked. "Murderous intents don't do us any good unless we plan to express them. It's not exactly a bad thing to want to wash our hands of them." The Eleven sat up and wrapped his arms around Lelouch's waist. "Or don't you think you can do that?" he questioned teasingly. Crimson eyes rolled in their sockets.

"This from Britannia's Angel of Death?" the prince chuckled. Suzaku grinned.

"Unlike you, my actions don't require thought." Both Britannians balked.

"Is that supposed to make us feel better?" Lelouch asked with a laugh.

"Like hell it is. I don't know which is weirder, the fact that you implicitly _insulted_ yourself, or that you've actually beaten the Black Knights that way." C.C. said. The brunette simply laughed.

"Maybe that's why he's so reckless." Lelouch said. Suzaku shook his head and cradled his chin on the curve between the prince's neck and shoulder.

"Too much thought makes you hesitate to do what your body knows is right. If your instincts are good, the first one will usually be right. Overcomplicating things gets you nowhere, Lulu." Lelouch rolled his eyes.

"_I know_. All I've done is conquer the world. I could have done _so_ much more with my life." Suzaku squeezed his beau.

"Exactly. I'm so glad you understand." The prince groaned in mild annoyance, causing the other two to smile wider. C.C. got up and climbed back onto the bed behind Lelouch. She moved close to them and wrapped her arms around him, her fingers locking together at his chest.

"So?" she murmured, "Are we okay for now?" Both boys sat in silence for a moment before nodding. Lelouch wrapped his arms around Suzaku and let his fingers tap and trace along the bones that made up the brunette's spine.

"We have to be. We can't afford to let personal afflictions interfere with our goal. And that's okay. To not let ourselves hurt. It's okay because all the pain caused by the means will be outweighed by the end."

"But the end won't be the _end_, will it?" Suzaku murmured.

"Only the beginning." C.C. said softly.

**X=========X=========X**

**There it is, as promised! For some reason, I tend to start and/or end my sections with dialog. It's a bad habit. Like slouching when I type. Dammit. Also, I'm not sure if anyone's noticed, but the section breaks tend to change often. Just because I can't remember what I used last chapter. And if these ANs are too long let me know; I ramble.**

**I actually considered adding an actual rape in here but decided against it. I have too much going on as it is without having them deal with the trauma of rape. Suzaku's power makes it very simple to take the easy way out. Having the thugs as just some random underground group was another easy way out. I hadn't really intended to do anything more with them…so I killed them off. **

**I sometimes worry if I go OOC with Lelouch or Suzaku. I think I may be feminizing Lulu sometimes. But, geez, LOOK at the guy! It's pretty hard **_**not**_** to feminize him. Sunrise did a great job of making him…I suppose I can't use the word **_**manly**_**, but you get the idea.**

**Looking back, I'm sad…or rather, mad at myself. I haven't actually introduced Nunnally and Schneizel into the story yet. I will soon, definitely. **

**Anyway, please R & R. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the delay. I haven't been doing much of anything lately (just can't bring myself to for some reason), so this took a long time to get out (I finished it in 2 days though). **

**I really like writing this story. I already have a general idea of where it's going so just adding some connecters to the main parts isn't that hard. I really like how this chapter in particular turned out. And 12 pages of just story!!**

**I hope everyone enjoys this. Please R & R. And tell your friends!**

X========X========X

Green eyes shot open wide before shutting tightly once more as their owner turned his head to the side. Suzaku bit his lip to hold back the moans that threatened to escape. His male lover leaned down from where his was positioned above him and began licking and nipping at the younger boy's neck. Lelouch chuckled softly against the tan skin and turned his attention to the front of Suzaku's throat. He pressed the tip of his tongue against the bottom of the brunette's throat and slowly trailed it upwards, stopping only to lightly bite the area where neck met chin.

Suzaku let out a breath, instinctively tilting his head straight and back to give the prince more access. Lelouch sucked on the skin for a moment before back down. He wrapped one arm around Suzaku's shoulders and the other around his waist and grabbed his lover's firm ass. He slid his middle finger down to the brunette's entrance and pushed it inside the already filled hole. The knight gasped and growled, pulling his legs back closer to his chest as if urging his love to go deeper.

Lelouch smirked and slowed his pace, for the first time deliberately avoiding Suzaku's prostate. Said brunette glared up at his friend and squirmed in annoyance. His attempted protest was silence with another deep kiss. While the other teen was momentarily distracted, Lelouch took the chance to remove his arm from around Suzaku's back and reached to the tube of heating lube. He dipped his fingers in the open bottle, soaking his fingers in the fluid. He moved his hand to in between them and trailed the base of his hand up the brunette's cock from end to tip. Once at the tip, his pressed one his lubed pinky against the opening. He slowly rubbed the lubricant into the sensitive opening, simultaneously pushing two more fingers into back opening and delivering several sharp thrusts directly to the prostate.

Suzaku's back arched and Lelouch curved his body in turn, not allowing the brunette to break their kiss and instead swallowing it into his own body. The taller form shuddered as its owner was flooded with pleasure. Suzaku squeezed tightly around Lelouch's member, all but forcing the prince to his own orgasm.

Lelouch pulled out and back and sat up. He brought his soiled hand up to his lips and slowly licked the soiled skin as he smirked down at the flushed brunette. Suzaku's eyes slowly narrowed and he smiled. He sat up quickly and wrapped his arms around his lord's waist, pulling him into his lap. Keeping one hand at Lelouch's waist, he used the other to take hold of his elder's wrist and brought it to his mouth, lightly running his tongue from the base of the palm to the tip of the middle finger. He brought the digit into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it. Lelouch pulled his hand away and kissed his lover again. When the kiss ended, Suzaku leaned closer so that their foreheads touched.

"Your turn."

"Nii-sama?"

The boys immediately pulled away from each other; Suzaku dashing to the window sill where he covered himself with a throw cover while Lelouch moved to sit against the headboard of the bed, pulling their blanket up to his chin.

"Heeey Nunnally." The boys chorused not nervously. The fourteen year old sat at the doorway in her wheelchair. She was clad in a long pale blue nightdress. For once she was without her ninja maid. The girl tilted her head at their nervousness but decided to overlook it.

"Is everything alright?" Her brother asked gently. The girl parted her lips as if to speak then blushed, turning her head down and away. Her protectors frowned in concern. Suzaku stood up and venture a few steps closer (though still a good 15 feet away).

"Nunnally? What's wrong? Are you alright?" he asked. Nunnally tapped her fingers together nervously.

"Umm, I had a bad dream…" she tilted her head up slightly, hopefully. "Would it be okay if I slept with you guys tonight?"

"Of course!" both answered without thinking. The normal Nunnally-induced response. Realizing the mistake two seconds too late, far too late to take it back, the boys cringed. They shared a panicked look. Ever the strategist, Lelouch was the one to come up with a solution.

"Actually Nunnally, Suzaku and I were working on a project on the bed. Can you give us a few minutes to clean things up?" The girl nodded in understanding.

"Do you need any help?"

"NO!" The boys cringed again and Nunnally looked surprised.

"We were actually working with a lot of sharp objects. We don't want you getting cut. Why don't you get a drink of water while you wait?" Suzaku said softly. The girl relaxed. More than anyone she knew how overprotective those two could be. There really was no other explanation as to why, at the age of _fourteen_, she had never held, much less used, normal scissors. That's right; their home only had safety scissors. Even _she_ knew that was odd.

"Can you get there on your own?" Lelouch asked with uncertainty. Nunnally smiled indulgingly at her sibling.

"_Yes, Nii-sama_. I'll be fine. Take your time." She turned around in her chair and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

The males simply stared at the door for a few seconds, as if she would return if they turned their backs. Realizing that they were safe, they sighed. Then cursed. The teens shared a look. Lelouch immediately grabbed all the…indecent objects and ran to the bathroom connected to his room to start the shower. Suzaku gripped the bottom sheet and pulled all the sheets (comforter included) off the bed in one go. He rolled them into a bundle and tossed it into the closet, pulling out a new set. At speeds that would make Superman look slow, he made the bed, spraying the whole room with air freshener just in case. Lelouch came running out of the bathroom after taking a shower at a rate that could only be broken by Suzaku. The Eleven rushed into the bathroom to shower while the Britannian toweled down and pulled out a set of pajamas for both himself and Suzaku. By the time said brunette exited the bathroom, Lelouch was already half dressed.

Fortunately, getting to the kitchen area, drinking water, and getting back to Lelouch's room took at least six minutes, leaving them with a good 45 seconds to calm down and pretend they hadn't just been running a race against time.

"We lock the door from now on." Lelouch muttered.

"Right."

When Nunnally returned, the boys were lounging on the bed calmly. Lelouch quickly crossed the room and gently lifted the girl from her chair. Suzaku pulled back the sheets and Lelouch lay her down at the center. The boys crawled in after her, Lelouch to her left, Suzaku to her right. Nunnally smiled happily at the two.

"It's been so long since we've done this! All three of us together." She said with fond wistfulness. Suzaku gently ran his hand under her head, smoothing the brown locks down beneath her.

"Yeah. It has been a while, hasn't it? Maybe next time we'll bring chocolate and crackers and make a small fire like the first time." He murmured. Lelouch chuckled and Nunnally giggled happily at the thought.

"Yes! And this time we could have Sayoko-san, C.C.-san and everyone in the student council join us, right?" she asked in excitement, tilted her head to face her brother. He smiled.

"Sure. We'll invite all our friends." The girl smiled and sighed softly, cuddling into her brother's frame as she drifted off to sleep. Lelouch's smile faded as he stared at the young girl. His sister. His family.

-----

_CRAAACKKKK_

_Lelouch opened his eyes slowly at the sound of thunder rattling their home. He sighed softly and rolled over. Violet eyes blinked in surprise at the sight of a small figure standing at the doorway, eyes closed, simply grasping at the door as he waited for the latest crash of thunder and the accompanying lighting to pass. Lelouch's expression softened._

"_Rolo." He called quietly. The boy jerked as if he'd been shot. He looked at his brother, flushed and turned away._

"_I'm sorry. I just…I just…" He pressed a palm to his forehead. He seemed confused, as if he had no idea as to why he stood at his brother's doorway at two in the morning. He had just come out of instinct. It had seemed like a good idea on the way over. But now he was here. _AND_ he had woken Nii-sama up. Dammit. Rolo shook his head hard and turned away, closing the door._

"_Rolo." The boy's head shot up and he looked at his brother over his shoulder. The older Lamperouge smiled gently at him and lifted the comforter. Rolo stood there, staring blankly at his brother, then at the comforter, then at his brother again._

"_Come here, Rolo." Lelouch ordered gently. The brunette nodded slowly and took tentative steps closer. He didn't want to be too far away from the door if Lelouch changed his mind. Rolo stood at the bedside now uncertainly. Lelouch chuckled softly, took his brother by the hand and gently, slowly so as not to induce panic, pulled the boy into to the bed and close to him. He replaced the cover over their bodies and wrapped his arms around the smaller frame. _

"_It's okay." He murmured, "So long as I'm alive, nothing will harm you. You have nothing to fear. I'm right here." Rolo stared up at him with wide eyes._

"_Nii-sama…" Lelouch just smiled warmly down at him. The young boy's eyes widened further and he blushed, burying his face in his brother's chest and clutched the soft cloth of Lelouch's pajamas. The former prince chuckle softly and began to stoke the brown hair below him. Rolo sighed softly in comfort as he slowly relaxed into Lelouch's frame. _

"_Family…" he whispered quietly to himself, "Is this what it means to be loved? How…pleasant…" Lelouch closed his eyes and continued to absently stroke Rolo's hair as he drifted back to dreamland. At the time he hadn't bothered to put any more thought into those words. _

_He had broken his promise._

_-----_

A hand came to cup his cheek, thumb gently wiping away tears he hadn't known he had been shedding. Lelouch looked up to meet Suzaku's gaze over Nunnally's head. He smiled gently before flicking the black haired teen in the forehead. Lelouch blinked in surprise and confusion. Was that supposed to be _comforting?_

"Just because she's here doesn't mean he's not still your brother. For someone so smart, you're so slow sometimes." He finished in a whispered coo, lightly pinching Lelouch's cheek. The older teen glowered.

"Not it." The brunette blinked in confusion at the randomness. Lelouch stared at him with half-lidded eyes.

"C.C. just got a new toy. You get to be the first one to use it when she gets back." Suzaku's eyes widened and he paled. Lelouch closed his eyes and fell asleep to the soft lullaby that was Suzaku's whispered pleas and apologies.

X========X========X

C.C. loved strap-ons.

She thought they were wonderful. All the perks of being a boy without the apparent awkwardness that comes with having external genitalia. She had a small collection (_only_ 34) and she considered herself quite lucky to have two pretty boys to use them on.

Lelouch and Suzaku hated strap-ons.

Well, it wasn't so much the objects themselves but the monster that used them. C.C. had been slowly buying ones that were increasing in their ridiculousness. Some were annoyingly large, others vibrated, or worse- _spun-_, at speeds that they knew weren't healthy. If they could for the life of them find her dealer, he'd been dead nine ways to Sunday by now. But clearly they couldn't, so he wasn't.

One day.

But worse than all that, C.C. liked to play very…rough with them. Rough being the nicest word they could come with. Hair pulling, profanities that would make sailors blush, bondage, climax holding, you name it. That woman was fucking crazy when she topped. She told them that she was in no way a dominatrix. She simply liked it a little rough. They told her that just because she wasn't in leather and carrying a whip that it didn't mean she wasn't a Dom. So she asked them if they _really_ wanted her to dominate them. Because she could do that if they wished.

Conclusion: C.C. _totally_ wasn't a Dom. She just liked to… experiment with them.

Thus it came as no surprise to find the two boys lying on their stomachs on the bed the next night, too sore to even _consider_ moving, while C.C. sat at the foot of the bed eating pizza without a care in the world.

"It's a miracle that girl's so sweet." She said absently. The boys had just finished telling her of the previous night's events. C.C. had spent the night at the BK's base in Lelouch's place taking care of some last minute things. That and she had been too lazy to bother trekking back and forth. Lelouch looked over his shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. She gave him a blank stare, a line of melted cheese hanging from her lip.

"She has you two whipped and even _she_ knows it." Suzaku turned his head to stare at the wall.

"She's not the only one." He muttered under his breath. C.C. took another bite of her pizza, getting a long string of cheese as she pulled it away slowly.

"Did Mr. Too-Weak-To-Fight-Back say something?" she asked innocently. Said victim buried his face in the pillow beneath him.

"…No." he mumbled. Lelouch sighed softly.

"I don't get your point, C.C. We pamper her because she deserves it. What does that have to do with her personality?" C.C. set down her slice.

"Let's take a look at the influential people in her childhood. Two ultra-manipulative brothers (Lelouch & Schneizel), a warrior princess sister (Cornelia), a cowardly narcissistic brother (Clovis), two people recklessly stubborn to the point of being near-suicidal (Suzaku & Euphemia), and her parents, who are odd in and of themselves.

"Most, if not all, of which would bend over backwards for her if she so much as _whimpered_. People who are _literally_ capable of giving her the world if she wanted it. Even if she didn't turn out like one of you freaks it's still odd that she doesn't even try to take advantage of the power she has." Both males cringed. She had a point. Lelouch closed his eyes and lay his head back down on the pillow.

"I guess that just means we did a good job of raising her." He murmured. Suzaku moved to sit up, stopped after he had lifted himself three inches and settled for turning over onto his back.

"Speaking of which, when do you plan to go get Rolo?" he asked. C.C. raised an eyebrow at Lelouch's back curiously.

"I'll probably hack into the Secret Intelligence's mainframe to find out where he is. By now he should be out of the Geass Order's base." The prince said. "The only issue getting him to trust us enough to get close."

"It shouldn't be too hard. If you were able to gain his love once, I'm sure you can do it again. And then you can just give him back his memories." Suzaku stated. The black haired teen scowled.

"I can't be the one to do that. He's my _brother_." The brunette raised an eyebrow.

"So? What does that-…oh right. The kissing thing." He sighed, "Fine. Why not just have C.C. do it. At least he'll recognize her immediately." Lelouch's scowl deepened.

"I am _not_ leaving him alone with her. God knows what she'll do." Suzaku turned his head to face his boyfriend.

"Come on, Lelouch. I sure she-"

"No, he's right. For someone's who's immortal, he's very fun to play with." She interrupted, a slow wicked smile appearing on her face. Lelouch glared at her over his shoulder before giving Suzaku a 'You see!' look. The brunette covered his eyes and sighed in exasperation. Lelouch blinked slowly, and then his eyes suddenly brightened.

"Suzaku! Why don't you do it?!" The brunette's hand fell from his eyes and he stared at the prince wide eyed for a moment before his gaze narrowed.

"You know damn well that I can't do it. You know only someone with a code or elevated geass can do that. Besides, even if I could, there'd be no point. I barely know him and all his memories of me aren't pleasant. He'd probably attempt to murder me right after." Lelouch buried his face in his pillow again. Sure, he knew that, but that didn't mean he wanted to believe it. Suzaku sighed at the other boy's stubbornness.

"Come on, Lelouch. Considering your family, it can't be all that big of a deal, right? I mean, you've kissed Euphemia, haven't you?" Lelouch's head shot up and he stared at Suzaku with eyes wide in shock.

"How did you- She _told_ you about that?!" Suzaku and C.C. stared at their lover in surprise. The brunette blinked slowly.

"I…I… No. I was just joking. I mean I knew she had crush on you before but…" he shook his head. "Anyway, that kinda proves my point, doesn't it?" Lelouch cringed and let out an annoyed growl. Even though they weren't related by blood, he saw Rolo in the same way he saw Nunnally. Kissing him would just be so…awkward. So now he had to choose between avoiding what was, for all intents and purposes, incest, and saving what little innocence Rolo had left. He out a defeated sigh.

C.C. crawled over and gave him an approving pat on the head. He glared up at her with all the malice of an annoyed kitten. She simply smiled wider. She looked over at Suzaku.

"What about you?" the boy raised an eyebrow.

"What _about_ me?" he asked.

"Aren't you going to bring those friends of yours to our side?" Suzaku stared at her blankly before a light of recognition flashed in his eyes. He looked away.

"Can I?" he murmured. "It's not so easy that I can just fix it with a kiss." Lelouch smirked.

"'It shouldn't be too hard. If you were able to gain their love once, I'm sure you can do it again.'" He cooed. Suzaku glared at him then sighed. Right…

X========X========X

Beep…beep beep…beep. Click.

Gino Weinberg sighed softly as the door to his room began to slide open. Every Knight in the Rounds had their own apartment in a building set aside for just the Knights. In addition, the building and each room was password encoded rather than key locked. The blond began unbuttoning his coat as he entered the room, depositing the garment on a nearby rack.

"Gino." The blond jump and spun around, gun in hand, cocked and ready. His eyes narrowed at the sight of a brunette Eleven in his room, standing still at the start of his living room. _'What on earth? How was he able to get into the building, let alone my room? I …I didn't even sense his presence…'_ he thought. Gino took a slow breath into his nose as he slowly approached the brunette from the hallway. Suzaku simply raised his hands palm out in peace.

"How did you get in here?" The blond asked. Suzaku gave him a calming smile, fighting the urge to use his geass on the sixteen year old.

"I had the code for the building. You gave me the code for your room." he stated calmly. Gino's eyes narrowed. He searched the tan face for any of the telltale signs of lying. He found none. Which made absolutely no sense.

"Is that so? Why would I give someone my key code…and suddenly forget about it?" Suzaku took a slow step forward and continued when Gino showed no signs of wanting to shoot him down. He stopped when he was only ten feet away.

"My name is Suzaku Kururugi. You may not remember, but we used to be friends." He murmured. "Or rather, we were going to be friends one day." The Knight frowned in confusion.

"Going to be? You're not…a stalker or something are you?" he asked gripping the gun tighter now in case the strange person started spouting nonsense about being his greatest fan. Suzaku blinked in surprise.

"What? No! I'm not. Really."

"Oh really? Fine, tell me something only a friend of mine would know." He shot back. The brunette was silent for a moment in thought. What _did_ he know about Gino? He'd been so focused on his goal that… The brunette shut his eyes tightly and blocked out those thoughts.

"Well?"

"I know…that you're ticklish on your feet and at the base of your neck. That…you like birds of prey but not normal ones. That you can't sleep in a place where you can't see the sky. That you have a secret passion for video games and superheroes. That you smile when you're sad to make yourself feel better…" he murmured with a soft smile, expression growing increasing wistful as he spoke.

Gino's eyes widened and his fingers grew lax around the gun. The weapon fell to the ground with a sharp clang, snapping Suzaku out of his reverie. He stared down at the gun before looking up at Gino. The blond was simply staring at him in utter shock. Gino's eyelids lowered and he turned his head away, blinking back tears.

"We were friends... Were you a Knight of the Round then?" he asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Do you plan to become one again?"

"No. There's something else I have to do. Someone else I have to serve." Gino looked back at him again, his expression calm and serious.

"That person, you'd rather serve him than your emperor?" Suzaku smiled warmly at the thought.

"He is _my_ emperor." Gino's eyes widened slightly at the expression.

"You're…you're in love with him." Suzaku nodded. "Does he love you back?" the blond continued.

"Yes." Gino smile gently.

"How nice." He said quietly. He sighed softly and turned around to face the door. "It's a shame. I must have _loved_ you." Suzaku blinked in surprise.

"What? Why would you think that?" he asked. Gino looked at the brunette over his shoulder and grinned.

"Because _no one_ knows those things. I've never told anyone so much about myself…let alone let them get close enough to _tickle_ me." He turned his head back forward and clasped his hands behind his back. "I must have _really_ wanted you to like me." He murmured with a chuckle. Suzaku took a step forward in concern.

"Gino…I…"

"It's okay." The Knight interrupted, "I'm okay. You can't miss what you never had. You just saved me a lot of time I would have spent pining." Suzaku frowned uncertainly. Gino spun around, slightly startling the brunette. He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around the smaller teen.

"Relax, okay! I'll find someone else to love, trust me." He leaned back to hold the older boy at arm's length. "We can still be friends, right Suzaku?" he asked. Suzaku smiled.

"I'd like that." He said. Gino grinned happily and hugged his new friend again. He held still for a moment before tilting his head on Suzaku's shoulder. He leaned close to the brunette's ear.

"But tell your boyfriend this: If he ever screws up, I _will_ steal you away." He murmured, giving the ear a light bite and pecking the White Knight softly on the cheek. Suzaku just stared forward wide eyed, face growing a deep red. Green eyes shifted slowly to look at the puff of blond hair. He let out a nervous laugh.

"You're…kidding right?" Gino took a step back and smiled innocently.

"Dunno. Time'll tell, won't it?" he chirped. Suzaku just stared at him with a mix of shock and mild horror. Gino laughed and circled his friend to stand behind him. Placing his hands on the boy's shoulders, he slowly steered him to the door. Suzaku looked up at him in confusion.

"I just ran 8 drills in a row. I need a nap. Since I'm sure you have my cell phone number, I'm expecting you to call me, kay?" The older teen smiled and nodded.

"Later, Gino." The blond grinned and waved happily. Once the brunette was gone, Gino closed the door quietly and turned around to lean against it. He slowly fell into a seated position and looked up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes to the tears that began to stream down his face. He wrapped his arms around himself and laughed hard at himself. At crying for a love that never existed. And was doomed from the start.

X========X========X

Violet eyes turned crimson as the Geass symbol appeared at their center. They narrowed slightly as their owner dropped down from a tile in the ceiling of the target room. The figure strolled over to a man who sat at his desk, looking over information on a computer. The teen raised a gun to the back of the stilled man's head and pulled the trigger.

Rolo Haliburton blinked slowly as the geass disappeared and his heart started beating again. He put his gun away and leaned over the dead body to peer at the computer. The target was a politician who had come across some confidential information and was intending to negotiate a price for keeping it confidential. The brunette reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a flash drive. Placing it into the computer, he booted up its sole program, effectively crashing the computer beyond repair and wiping away any information that may have existed in it.

"Is this what you intend to do for the rest of your life?" a voice asked absently. Rolo spun around and fired two shots in the direction of the voice, not even bothering to determine its host.

Lelouch blinked slowly. There was now a hole in the wall behind him right beside his ear. C.C. was now sporting a classy bullet wound on her upper arm that she had raised to prevent the bullet from hitting someone who could actually die from a shot to the chest. Both twitched. And they had thought he'd been trigger happy while he was _them_. Suddenly, this didn't seem like such a good idea.

But they _were_ already here.

Rolo blinked slowly at the two.

"C.C.-sama." He stated. Violet eyes shifted to look at the other person. "Who are you? Why are you here?" he asked coldly. Lelouch remained silent for a moment. He took a slow step forward. Rolo's eyes narrowed in warning and C.C. grabbed his arm. Lelouch looked over at her and nodded to her, placing a placating hand on the one that gripped him. She slowly let go. He faced Rolo again and took another tentative step forward. Rolo growled under his breath.

"Answer me!" he barked. Lelouch smiled warmly at the younger boy who blinked, startled by the expression.

"My name is Lelouch Lamperouge. I am your brother. I'm here to help you." He stated calmly. Rolo blinked in surprise.

"I have no family." He growled out.

"Yet." Lelouch said back. The brunette frowned at that and spared a glance at C.C. She stood there quietly and offered him a soft smile. His gaze went back to Lelouch, who had gotten significantly closer while he had been distracted. He got ready to activate his geass.

"Don't." C.C. ordered. The child looked over at her and glowered, debating whether or not to obey.

"Rolo." Lelouch said softly, getting the boy's attention again. He raised his hands; the heart shaped key chain hanging from his left ring finger. Rolo stared at it in confusion. Lelouch extended the hand toward the assassin.

"This is for you. It's a present." He stated. Rolo blinked in shock. He stared down at the small locket, then up at the prince, and then back down again. Keeping his gun aimed, he tentatively reached out and slowly pulled the key chain off the slender finger. He held it in his hand and stared down at it. He turned it over in his hand. White with a gold rounded cross in the center. It was…nice.

"Why?" he asked, glancing up at the prince warily. Lelouch gave him the gentle smile he had once reserved for Nunnally alone.

"Because I care about you. Because I _love_ you. I want you to feel happy, safe and loved. I want to give you a better life then this, one where you do things out of you own volition, not because you were ordered to." He murmured. Rolo stared at him wide eyed with an expression that bordered on panicked. Lelouch took a step closer. Rolo took a step back, bumping into the dead body he'd forgotten about. Lelouch took another step forward. The child's breath hitched and he moved back further, as if trying to phase through the dead body.

By the time Lelouch was only arm's length away, the boy was still staring up at the teen wide eyed and shaking. He couldn't break eye contact. He couldn't think. Although he still held the gun up, aimed shakily at Lelouch, he couldn't even remember how to use it. The prince's words, his expressions, his movements, swirled around in his head, creating a fog that seemed to blanket everything else.

_Frightened little bird._

Lelouch took hold of the wrist that held the gun and slowly brought it down. He used his other hand to grasp Rolo's chin gently but firmly. He moved in closer and leaned down, resting his forehead against the brunette's. He stared into the boy's eyes and tried to reflect as much love as he could.

"Trust me." He whispered. "So long as I'm alive, nothing will harm you. You have nothing to fear. I'll _always_ be right here." He closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against Rolo's. Large violet eyes became half lidded as his mind was bombarded with memories he hadn't known he had. The gun was dropped to the ground and the hand moved to in between them to grasp weakly at Lelouch's shirt.

When Lelouch finally pulled away, Rolo blinked very slowly before his eyes rolled back. The Black King blinked in surprise. Taking the boy by the shoulders, he shook him gently.

"Rolo? Rolo?! Come on, wake up!" he called out. As far as he knew it wasn't normal to faint during this. I mean, not even _Lelouch_ fainted as a result of the memory transfer! So, what the hell?! Lelouch let out a gasp as Rolo was pulled from his grasp. C.C. held the minor up with one hand by the shoulder, using the other to backhand the boy. Lelouch's eyes shot wide and Rolo's did as well. The fifteen year old blinked slowly up at her then tilted his head to face Lelouch. He smiled lovingly, then blinked, turned bright red and looked away. Lelouch put a hand over his eyes and inwardly groaned. C.C. looked from one Lamperouge to the other and smiled.

"Come now, it could be worse. At least it doesn't work the way those 'alien probes' do. Then again, you'd probably _like_ that wouldn't you?" she ended with a coo as she stared down at the brunette in her arms. Lelouch's eyes grew wide from where he stood and his hand dropped from his face. Rolo stared up at the witch in confusion.

"What does that mean?" he asked. Lelouch glared warningly at his accomplice over his brother's head. She smirked.

"It's when someone puts-"

"_Shut it, C.C._" the prince growled. "You don't need to know about things like that, Rolo." He added more gently.

He hadn't even left them alone yet and already the boy's mind was in danger. She was like a freaking _pedophile_. Then a frightening thought occurred to him. He had left C.C. at home with Nunnally. _On several occasions._ The former emperor paled and looked at her.

As if reading his thoughts, the witch faced him. Her eyes narrowed and a slow full grin spread across her face. Lelouch twitched, grabbed Rolo from her grasp and held him close, looking away. He took a couple deep breaths to keep from panicking. Okay. Okay, he was probably overreacting, and C.C. was just egging him on. After all, Nunnally had Sayoko with her all the time. YES!! Sayoko was always there with her! …Except for those times he had had her disguise herself as him…and maybe when she was working on some chore… The prince covered his face with a hand.

_Fucktastic. _

X========X========X

**So how was that? I was able to finally introduce several people I wanted to get in. …Someday Schneizel, someday.**

**While I do find Rolo to be kinda odd (like stalkerish odd), I have to admit that I kinda like him. I dunno, he's just sorta cute in a mousey way. (I'm not sure if you know but mice and baby rats are **_**adorable!**_** They're just these soft little things with eyes!)**

**I compared Rolo to a frightened bird up there. If you've ever seen a small bird that's unable to move or something, you find that it just lays there shuddering minutely. I think rabbits do that too.**

**Nunnally so sweet. She indulges her brothers by letting them think they're indulging her. **

**The reason I didn't put in 2 lemons is just because I don't have the patience for that. I had a lot of other stuff to put in this chapter without spending time on that. Maybe later.**

**Gino/Suzaku. Great paring. Gino's obviously crushing. There aren't enough stories about Lulu and Gino fighting over Suzu. Such fun. **

**Lots of incest references. Several members of the royal family are just **_**way**_** too fond of the other members to be normal (cough – Cornelia/Schneizel/Lelouch – cough). Ahem. Wow, I must be coming down with a cold or something. ^_^**

**Goodness, it's 3 in the morn. What **_**am**_** I doing up?!**

**Anyway, please R &R!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Did I have a plan for this story? I know where it's ending but am kinda lost on the middle. Wish me luck! **

**I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but I deliberately didn't include Anya in the last chapter. Simply because of the whole 'geass possession' thing. So I'll probably deal with that later. Also, I feel like I've been sort of skimming over important things…does it seem that way to you all? If so, please let me know so I can slow down. **

**Also, if any of you are Final Fantasy VII fans, you should watch the FFVII amv for Anthem of the Angels (Breaking Benjamin) on youtube. **

* * *

When one normally thinks about Mondays, they think about the end of their weekend, their life as they know it. They think about the stresses the upcoming week will undoubtedly bring. They think about rain-filled clouds and skies as dreary as the hearts of those beneath them. Mondays are so dull.

But this is Code Geass.

So this Monday morning found the Ashford Academy Student Council sitting at their rectangular table staring at their school's newest student, a violet eyed brunette by the name Rolo. Said brunette was refusing to meet the gazes of the other students and was almost visibly resisting the urge to clutch onto his brother. It wasn't that he was afraid of any of these people; he knew them well enough.

No, he wasn't afraid at all.

Though the look of…something less innocent than delight on Milly's face was a bit unsettling.

Just a bit.

"He's your…brother?" Shirley asked, breaking the silence. Suzaku leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table.

"Yeah. Lelouch sort of adopted him." Rivalz stared at Lelouch, then Rolo, then Lelouch again.

"He's 15?"

"Yes." This time it was Lelouch that answered.

"He's two years younger than you and you _adopted_ him. Is…Is that normal? Or even legal?" He asked. Rolo blinked in surprise and his 'guardians' shared a look. Lelouch crossed his arms and reclined in his chair.

"Of course not. Rolo just _happened_ to recently lose his documentation. When he went to get them replaced, the clerk accidentally changed his last name to one that happened to be identical to mine. Intrigued by this coincidence and the fact that he happened to be an orphan, I decided to let him stay with Nunnally and I for the time being. In his gratefulness, he sees me as an older brother, leading me to see him as a younger one. It's all just serendipity. And can't be proved to be otherwise." He answered. The others stared at the prince in utter shock. Even Suzaku looked surprised. Shirley just sighed and covered her eyes with her hands. Rivalz looked a little dazed and Milly chuckled.

"Well, at least it looks like he's covered his bases, I suppose." Nina murmured, smiling behind her hand.

"Only Lelouch could spout something like that and make it believable." Kallen muttered. Lelouch smiled 'innocently'.

"Now now, Kallen. If I didn't know better I'd think you were accusing me of lying." He said sweetly.

"Oh, my! Heaven forbid!" she shot back just as sweetly. The grouped just chuckled, even Rolo cracking a small smile.

Milly stood and leaned over the table, taking the mousy teen by the chin. She let out a wistful sigh.

"Dammit, Lulu. I wish you had told me about this earlier. We could have planned a party."

"Which is why I waited." The blond shot him a pout before turning back to the brunette. She looked over at Suzaku and gave him a long stare before turning back to Rolo again. Her other hand went to her chin and scratched it thoughtfully.

"You know, if I didn't know better I'd think that little Rolo here was Lulu and Suzaku's love child." She said. The six members of the student council choked hard on their air.

"WHAT?!?!" they cried in alarm. Rolo just stared at the crazed teen in confusion and shock. All eyes darted between the two members of the Unholy Trinity and began to sort of…consider it.

"Well, he does have Lulu's eyes…" Shirley said thoughtfully.

"And Suzaku's hair…" Rivalz added, scratching his own chin.

"And Lelouch's physique…" Nina added.

"But he moves more like Suzaku, like fit but not quite graceful…" Kallen finished. The group stared between the three, tilting their heads curiously. Lelouch bristled in annoyance and was about to set them straight – the last thing they needed was people speculating about their relationship – when his lover beat him to it. The older brunette let out a deep sigh, earning the attention of his peers. He stood up and walked over to Rolo. He placed his hands on the Britannian's shoulders.

"You're right."

Blink…blink…blink…wha?

"You guys already know that Lelouch and I met once a long time ago…and well, we _did_ some things. And when _it_ happened…" he put one hand over his eyes and turned away as if in pain, his other hand gripping Rolo's shoulder tighter. "…we just didn't know _what _to do!" He turned the younger brunette around in his chair, leaned down and wrapped his arms around him tightly. "Rolo…oh, Rolo. I'm so sorry! For not being there for you for all these years, for all those birthdays I missed! I promise, from now on, I will be there for you in any way I can." He leaned back and wiped some real-looking tears from one eye as he smiled lovingly up at the child. "I will be the _best_ father you could possibly ever have." He finished with a murmur.

Silence…

Everyone's jaws had dropped. Lelouch was staring at Suzaku as if he'd stabbed him, _without his permission._ Rolo looked utterly baffled, and seemed to be half wondering if the Knight was serious. Suzaku simply continued to stare up at him with that loving expression. Violet eyes grew wider and the younger teen turned toward his brother and let out a helpless sound. Said brother twitched and his hands slowly curled into fists. He rose slowly and moved to stand behind his lover. He delivered a harsh blow to the head below him, that Suzaku had to admit was fairly strong considering who it was, grabbed the brown locks in one hand and pulled the head back sharply.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" Lelouch barked. Suzaku blinked calmly up at him.

"Now, now, love. You know we mustn't fight in front of the children." He covered his mouth ever so slightly with one hand. "It sets a bad example." He added with a whisper. Lelouch glowered and the others (sans Rolo) burst out laughing.

"Holy shit, Suzaku! You're getting as good as Lelouch!" Rivalz gasped out amidst laughs.

"I actually thought you were being serious for a second!" Shirley giggled out. Suzaku smiled proudly and closed his eyes and activated his geass on Lelouch alone. Calmer, it was significantly easier to gently pull the slender fingers from his hair. He stood and bowed low to the group.

"Thank you, I live to please." He murmured with a smirk. Lelouch simply sighed and rolled his eyes in mild distaste. Rolo sighed as well, seeming a bit happy that this nonsense had been a joke. Milly let out a happy sound as she fell back into her seat. She stretched widely.

"I think I know what kind of party we're going to have for little Rolo tomorrow." She said. Lelouch and Rolo cringed but the others looked at her curiously.

"A costume party!" the students raised their eyebrows at her. All their parties were costume parties. She smirked proudly and glanced at Lelouch.

"This time we are going as each other. Everyone has to dress up as a different member of the council and _properly_ act that person out!" Their eyes grew wide at that.

"Oh my…" Nina voiced for everyone.

-- Suzaku had succeeded in diverting attention from their relationship. Sure, it had brought them back to the party issue, but that was to be expected. She would have gotten to it eventually. Right now Lelo- err, _they _had to take one for the team. --

X==========X==========X

_Pit pat pit pat…_

_A small child ran quietly down an ornate hallway. Short black hair cut even at the child's shoulders and clad in all white with a gold trimmed coat. With one hand he clutched a thin black square box to his chest. He came to a stop at the end of the corridor and brought himself close to the wall. He closed his eyes and reclined against the wall, letting his head rest against the smooth stone as he slowly caught his breath. Gripping the stone with one hand he leaned slowly to look around the corner. _

_Nothing. _

_With a soft sigh, he continued on, walking normally now. Normally for one trained to walk with the smooth gracefulness of an angel. He stopped in front of a tall door. It was a deep bronze, like all the other doors in the palace, with swirling navy indentations mimicking the path of the door to a smaller scale. At the very center of the door within the navy trail was a long cloth with words 'Schneizel el Britannia' stitched in gold and outlined in navy. _

_The child raised his free hand to the door and paused. He bit the inside of his lower lip and stared at the door unseeingly. What if he was busy? Or what if he wasn't yet wished not to be bothered? What if _he_ were considered a bother? Violet eyes narrowed and he bit into his lip harder. He let his raised hand rest against the door and it slowly curled into a fist. He took a deep breath and brought his hand back to join the other across his chest._

"_Did you wish to play a game, little one?" a melodic voice murmured from behind him. The child spun around sharply in shock and stared up at the speaker in mild horror and embarrassment. He instinctively stepped back to stand against the door._

"_Aniue." He breathed. The child's eyes narrowed and he glowered slightly. If Lelouch vi Britannia walked with the grace of an angel, then Schneizel el Britannia walked with that of a _god_. Someone needed to but a bell on that man. So he said as much. Schneizel chuckled softly and came down to one knee._

"_If I wore a bell, I'd never get to see this expression on your face again." He murmured, reaching up to gently caress his brother's face. The boy blushed slightly but resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Besides, I'd think a kitten's bell would look much more adorable on you, Lelouch." Lelouch's eyes shot wide and he stared up at his brother in shock, looking deeply flustered, before settling into a dark glare._

"_It would not." The child growled out. Schneizel tilted his head curiously._

"_Shall we ask your Lady Mother and Nunnally their opinion?" the second prince asked 'innocently'. Lelouch gasped in horror. They both knew _exactly_ how that would end._

"_No. That's not necessary." He answered. Schneizel smiled warmly down at his favorite sibling and gently slipped the box from the boy's grasp. He stood, moved past the boy and opened the door to his room._

"_Shall we play a game then?" Lelouch turned looked up at him in surprise._

"_You're not too busy?" he asked. Schneizel looked over his shoulder and shot the child a loving smile._

"_Never for you." When Lelouch's eyes softened and he smiled warmly back, Schneizel felt his heart flutter in delight. Despite being a little firecracker, his brother was fairly careful with his emotions. It took real effort, even for the ever-careful Schneizel, to keep himself from snuggling the blackette. He entered the room and placed the set on a small round table set aside for this very purpose._

"_Shall we use the same wager this time?" he asked. Lelouch frowned instinctively at that._

"_No, I'd rather not." He stated. Schneizel gave him an acknowledging hum as he readied the board._

"_I see, afraid we'll lose, are we?" he asked. Lelouch's eyes shot wide and he bristled._

"_Of course not!" he barked. Schneizel bit back a smirk and motioned to the seat across from him._

"_Well then, shall we?" Lelouch stalked over to his side and sat down. A confident smirk appeared on his face._

"_You'll be the one who loses this time!" Schneizel smiled down at him._

"_We'll see."_

_The blond couldn't help but rejoice in good timing. His package had just arrived a couple hours before and sat ready at the foot of his closet. He stared at the boy who studied the game board with an adult's level of concentration. Such a lovely child. He'd look perfect in that black dress. The older prince's brow then twisted slightly in mild annoyance._

_He should have gotten that bonnet._

_*****_

"Your Highness, we're here." A voice said softly.

Schneizel el Britannia sat in the aisle seat across from his advisor Kanon Maldini. The Prime Minister sat with one leg crossed elegantly over the other and one arm over one knee, propping up the other. The other hand held a small book detailing a Britannian's perspective on the Eleven's culture. At the time, he sat reading the book with his normal expression of calm, gentle indifference.

The voice was duly ignored.

The flight attendant who had delivered the notice bit her lip. She rose from her bow and turned to look at Kanon. The russet (?) haired man gave her a warm smile and stood. He leaned down over the blond and brought his mouth close to the other's ear, causing the attendant to blush lightly in fan-girlish anticipation.

"My lord, we've arrived." He murmured. Schneizel's eyes shifted slowly to look at the other man without turning his head.

"Have we?" he asked with mild curiosity. Kanon pulled back onto his heels and nodded with a smile. Out of the corner of his eye, the second prince could now see the blond haired flight attendant who was smiling shyly at him. He returned the smile.

"Thank you. I apologize for my rudeness." Her eyes grew wide and she turned a deep red as she bowed to hide it.

"Please don't trouble yourself, Your Highness. I assure you, it was my honor!" She replied before quickly scurrying off. Kanon chuckled softly earning his prince's attention once more.

"You really should sleep with your eyes _open,_ my lord." Schneizel chuckled softly as well.

"Force of habit, I suppose. At least my eyes close when I _intend_ to sleep." He murmured. Kanon smiled.

"Dreaming of him again, are we?" he asked.

"Always, especially as of late." Schneizel turned his head to look out the plane's windows. Lavender eyes narrowed slowly as they stared out at the airport beneath them.

"So this is Area 11. Japan, the country whose land has already taken three of my siblings away." Kanon's smile faded as he watched an ever so slight frown darken the normally light features of his prince. Kanon's gaze softened as he got up on his knees and he reached up and wrapped his arms around the blond. Schneizel turned to stare down at his advisor in clear surprise. Kanon looked up at him with a gentle smile.

"Then, if only for their sakes, let us bring peace to this place." He murmured. Schneizel blinked, and then leaned down so that their foreheads touched. He smiled.

"Yes, let's."

X==========X==========X

"Princess Euphemia!" a voice called from behind her. The pinkette spun around and gave her knight a smile, then a pout.

"Suzaku." She said warningly. Said knight came to a stop before her and gave her a gentle smile.

"Euphie." He corrected. She smiled again and reached out for his hand. He took hers in his own and waited for her to turn around so that they could continue walking in the direction she had been travelling. They were in the Britannian Embassy on their way to a special meeting. As Euphemia's knight and a member of the Engineering Corps, he was also invited to the meeting. A rarity in itself, especially considering Cornelia and most of the military's less then amicable feelings towards him. But, regardless of where his loyalties lay, no one could deny his skill and strength.

"Euphie, do you know what this meeting's about?" he asked. Turning his head, he could see the beginnings of a frown on her face.

"I was told that we would be greeting a guest from the mainland. Here to deal with…the Zero problem." She finished more quietly. Suzaku's eyes widened and he frowned slightly. This would certainly be a problem. Nonetheless, at least it would give them a good chance to gather information as well as get a good look at their new enemy.

"I pray that, whoever they are, they'll at least try to work towards a less oppressive peace." She murmured, coming to a stop. Suzaku stopped as well and went in front of pinkette to face her. He took her hands in his own.

"I'm sure they will." He said with a smile. "And I promise, no matter what, to bring you the peaceful world you want one day. So don't let yourself worry too much, okay." She stared up at him and smiled herself. The brunette's face brightened at the look. She pulled one of her hands from his grasp and gave his hands a light pat.

"And leave you to shoulder the worries by yourself? Not likely." She chirped, pulling away and walking around him. Suzaku blinked in surprise and glowered slightly at her back, pouting a bit.

"_Euphie._" He called in a half warning-half whine. The girl let out a melodic laugh.

"Yes, yes, Suzaku. I'll be good." She called behind her. Suzaku let out a soft sigh as he continued to follow her. '_Like hell, she will.' _He thought in mild annoyance. He couldn't help but remember C.C.'s words from before: _"…recklessly stubborn to the point of being near-suicidal…"_ The brunette cringed slightly. '_I'm going to have to up her security later.'_

The two arrived at the proper meeting hall. Euphemia stopped a couple feet away from the door, allowing her knight to come around and open it for her. They entered a large room with a large circular table at the center. Most of the attendees were already seating except a few. Some of those few included Lloyd and Cecile who stood off to one side speaking to Princess Cornelia, who looked more annoyed than usual, her knight, and some men from the military.

"Viceroy, Earl Asplund, Miss Cecile." Euphemia greeted upon reaching them. There was a flicker of a smile on the second princess's face that disappeared as quickly as it had come. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but paused, noticing how all the seated people behind her sister were now standing in anticipation. She held back a cringe and sighed.

"He's here." The newcomers blinked in surprise.

"Do you know who it is, Lady Viceroy?" the pinkette asked. The woman nodded but didn't answer and turned to face the back door that everyone had their attention on. Euphemia moved to her sister's side and Suzaku moved to the girl's other side.

From the open door several high ranking men in the military entered and after them came two others, announced by the attendee in charge of such things: Prime Minister and Second Prince Schneizel el Britannia and his Highness's royal advisor Kanon Maldini. Suzaku paled significantly. He kept his eyes open and swallowed the string of curses that threatened to surface.

'_Lelouch is going to be sooo pissed…'_

The blond male wore his normal calm smile which he turned onto his siblings when their presence caught his eye. He strode over to them. The group bowed to him, though the two princesses gave a bow of the head and dip of the shoulders.

"Sisters, it's been a while." He murmured fondly. Euphemia smiled happily up at the man.

"Much too long." She replied. Schneizel smiled more gently at her before turning and greeting the members of the Engineering Corps. The scientists replied respectfully before the prince's gaze landed on the new knight. He raised an eyebrow curiously.

"You must be Major Kururugi. I've heard so much about you." Suzaku bowed again, though not as deep.

"All good things, I hope, Your Highness." He replied. Schneizel's eyes narrowed slightly, though his features didn't change. He took the brunette by the chin and leaned down so that they stood eye to eye. An ever so slight smirk crept onto his face.

"I can't say they did you justice." He said with a chuckle. Despite himself, Suzaku found himself blushing and resisted the urge to pull away. Holy…The brunette blinked slowly. He'd forgotten what was like. Lelouch with his maximum 'totally _not _flirtatious' charm on 24/7.

_Shit._

Euphemia smiled almost proudly at her brother's words.

"He's truly an excellent knight, Your Highness. I dare say he's better than Lord Guilford." Said knight and his princess blinked in surprise and swallowed their annoyance. Guilford's eyes shifted away, '_Like hell, that…that _child_ is better than me!' _he thought in semi-childish annoyance. "You really should get one." The girl continued oblivious to the red flashes of annoyance behind her. The blond pulled away from Suzaku and chuckled softly at that.

"I'll have to say no to that. I've too many guards as it is without adding a knight." He replied.

"Though we'd be lying if we said we wouldn't mind taking yours." Kanon added with a soft laugh. Both minors blinked in surprise. Suzaku tensed when he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders.

"I apologize, Your Highness, but more so than her, Major Kururugi belongs to me." Lloyd stated. This earned him an even more surprised blink from everyone but Schneizel and Kanon, the latter of which merely raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, I'd never dream of taking your most important component from you." The prince said sweetly. The silver haired scientist gave his sponsor a smirk. Schneizel turned around to face the other attendees.

"Well then, shall we begin?"

X==========X==========X

"I want to meet him."

Click.

Suzaku blinked slowly and stared down at the deep blue cell phone he had dropped in surprise.

"Suzaku? Suzaku?" a faded voice called from the device. The brunette stared at it for a moment more before reaching down to pick it up. He presently sat at a table in the much nicely lighted not-so-abandoned warehouse with the other members of their little clique. It was now late evening, only 10:20pm, early compared to their other meeting times. Rolo had been introduced to the adult members of their group and he and Lelouch had been in the middle of reading progress reports of the military's movements and technological advancements when the call came.

Suzaku brought the phone back up to his ear and turned away from the raised eyebrows he'd received at his apparent 'clumsiness'.

"I'm sorry. Dropped my phone. What were you saying?"

"I want to meet him."

"Meet who?"

"Your ki-…boyfriend." The caller chirped. Suzaku could almost see the stupid grin on the caller's face. The brunette took the phone away from his ear, stared at it, then brought it back.

"You do realize that I'm in _Japan_, right?" he asked incredulously.

"I've been meaning to take a vacation." The voice chirped. Suzaku massaged his eyes with his free hand.

"I shouldn't need to tell you why this is a bad idea."

"Then don't." the voice replied with a calm smugness. The Knight glowered at the wall in front of him and remained silent.

"Fine then. At least let me talk to him." The voice continued. Suzaku bit his lip and looked over his shoulder. He was only slightly startled to see C.C. staring him directly in the eye. Lelouch on the other hand was still looking over papers with the others. Suzaku covered the receiver with his hand.

"Lelouch. He wants to talk to you." He half whispered. The prince looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"Gino." He clarified. Lelouch and Rolo both blinked up at him in surprise. The blackette remained silent for a moment before motioning for the phone. C.C. shot him an 'are you sure?' while Rolo gave him an 'are you sane?' look. Lelouch waved away their concern and took the phone from his boyfriend.

"Hello. I hope you don't mind if I don't say my name." he stated calmly into the speaker.

"Not at all! I wouldn't want you to do anything to jeopardize Suzaku's safety." Gino replied. "Would I be safe in assuming that you know me as well as Zaku does?" Lelouch chuckled softly at the nickname.

"No. While I knew you at the time, I hadn't the chance to get as close to you as he did."

"Just as well. He _did_ give you my warning, didn't he?" Lelouch smirked slightly, running a hand through his hair.

"He did. I hope you know that it'll take a much bigger man than you to steal him from me." He murmured.

"Oh, I'm sure. But this isn't a battle right? I'm sure when it comes right down to it, he'll simply walk away with me, no rope required." The blond chirped. Lelouch couldn't help the choked laugh that escaped at that.

"That's a shame; I think he'd prefer the rope." Gino let out a lstrong augh, softened by the fact that he seemed to pull the phone away from his mouth.

"Thank you for the imagery." The knight said with an audible smile, "It's much harder to deal with an opponent I've never even seen though. Is there any chance of us meeting soon?" he asked.

"Yes, one day." Gino fell back flat onto the bed in his apartment, staring up at the ceiling as his smile faded slightly.

"Until then, you'll protect him, won't you?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes. For as long as I can and as much as I'm able." The blond gave him an approving hum.

"Okay then, will you promise me something?"

"What?"

"On that day, when we finally meet, take us all out to eat." Lelouch raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?" he asked.

"I hear that everything tastes better when you eating with someone you care about and you learn a lot about a person by how and what they eat. And besides all that, this way you won't need to introduce yourself by name." Lelouch chuckled softly.

"I see, very well then. Is there anything else?"

"…I'll be the first to admit it takes something special to get someone who's even made here to defect, a friend no less. So…on that day, if I…like what I see…I may decide to join you as well."

"I'd be honored if you did." The blond let out a soft laugh.

"Goodbye little king."

"Goodbye little knight." Lelouch turned off the cell phone and tossed it back to its owner. The brunette caught it and sent his king a questioning look. The older teen simply shook his head and picked up the folder he'd placed down earlier. He smiled softly as he stared at the sheet unseeingly. He flipped through the pages absently before stopping abruptly on a page with a picture clipped to it. Suzaku paled slightly and moved a couple steps away. C.C. looked over the prince's shoulder at the picture, cringed slightly, and began slowly inching away. The other members of their group watched their leader curiously as his eyes grew wide and he just _stared_ at the sheet for another full minute.

"Suzaku." Lelouch breathed. The brunette subdued a cringe and took the chance to take another step back while his lover's focus was still on the page.

"Yes?" he replied with all the calm he could muster.

"You met by brother today." He stated.

"I did."

"Why am I only learning about this now? 6 hours later?" he asked coldly. Suzaku closed his eyes and activated his geass. He opened his eyes after deactivating it. Lelouch was staring at him now, actually _glaring_.

"Not this time." The prince growled, albeit calmly. Suzaku cringed and looked away.

"…Lloyd knew long before I did." He answered.

"What?!" the prince turned to glare at the scientist, who stared back impassively.

"You were going to get the report tonight. I saw no reason to go out of my way." He replied simply. Lelouch stared at him blankly.

"Your boss and the most influential person in the world after the _Emperor, _one of the _very _few people who could really screw us over,shows up, and you didn't think it required immediate notice?"

"No." the man all but chirped. The prince glared darkly. Cecile took a deep breath and stepped into the fire.

"But it's okay, right? His Highness is actually quite nice, and he wants to try to find a peaceful way to resolve the conflict." She said. Lelouch looked away and leaned back into his seat with a sigh. Jeremiah frowned and stood up. He came to stand beside his prince and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"What's wrong? You used to be so fond of your brother." The blackette sat silent for a moment before letting out something quite close to a growl.

"Quote: 'One of the few people who could REALLY screw us over.'" C.C. answered for him.

"Not to mention that we weren't expecting to have to deal with him so soon." Suzaku added. C.C. crossed her arms and a frown began to form.

"Which means it won't be long before the little white terror shows up. He's long overdue and it seems that Murphy's Law feels like messing with us." That caught her lovers' attention.

"White terror?" Lelouch asked in confusion.

"Mao." Both boys paled.

"Shit." They hissed.

"Who's Mao?" Rolo asked in worry.

"He's like us but not a member of the Order." C.C. replied.

"What Order?" Lakshata asked. The leader took a deep, semi-calming breath and shook his head.

"For now, that doesn't matter. Sayoko, Rolo, I need you two to remain at Nunnally's as often as you can until he's dealt with." He ordered to their shock.

"Even Lady Nunnally's in danger?!" Jeremiah asked in horror. "If that's the case, allow me guard her!" he begged. Lelouch put a hand on the man's shoulder in an attempt to pacify him.

"You know I can't let you do that. Rest assured that we won't let harm come to her." He replied with more confidence then he felt. Jeremiah nodded solemnly.

"He's right." Rolo said, "If Nii-san believes so, then it will be so." He murmured with faith, as he closed his eyes. C.C. massaged her eyes and sighed away the memories of her last run in with her former student.

"Then you don't know Murphy's Law." She muttered.

* * *

**Okay, that's it. I didn't care much for the ending, but couldn't decide how to end it better. **

**Besides that, I noticed that the storyline for my story is SOOOOOO far off. Fuck. Obviously, I'm not going to go back and change it. I'll just disregard some things. **

**I finally got to show Schneizel!!!!!!!!! He's one of my favorite characters so I hope I portrayed him well. Also, I decided to pair him with Kanon, they're practically canon as it is. I hope you guys enjoyed the little Schneizel/Lulu moment there. It wasn't meant to be too perverted, Schneizel just adores his little brother and thinks he looks even cuter in a dress (and we all know he would). **

**I want to give a shout out to Vermillion Lies. I got the idea for Suzaku's fatherly moment in scene 1 from her story, Imitation Magic. It is a must read! (And goes along with Just Like Magic). I loved her stories so much, I couldn't stop laughing!**

**Looking back, today was a weird day for Suzu, wasn't it? Oh well.**

**Anyway, please read and review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**There has been a REALLY long delay for this, hasn't there? Like the longest yet (for this fic). Let me just say that Depression SUCKS. So it took a long time to get this out. And why it may be written a little haphazardly. Not to mention that I screwed myself over in the last chapter by mentioning Mao. Did NOT remember/know why I did that. ^_^; **

**Also, someone told me that they missed my dry humor. I have no idea what that is. Is it the sex jokes? Because I can just drown you guys in it. It's part of being a teen…or not so much anymore. I'm 20 now!**

**Also, this first part is obviously set **_**before **_**Rolo was introduced to the other members of the Student Council.**

**Anyways, on with the show.**

**

* * *

  
**

Nunnally liked her new brother.

When Lelouch had brought him home the other day, stating that he had adopted the boy, she had to admit (if only to herself) that she had felt a pang of jealousy. After all, for the last several years she had been Lelouch's precious younger sibling.

Suzaku didn't count.

Say what you will, but in the back of her mind she had long since known that the two felt something a little stronger than brotherly devotion for each other.

Then again, considering the amount of their siblings that Lelouch had offhandedly proposed/been proposed to by, it was probably a moot point.

But she set those feelings aside, because she was nothing if not welcoming. So when the youngest Geass user approached her, she gave him a warm smile and extended her hands to him. He was tense and his nervousness radiated off him in waves. It was a bit unnerving, but still feasible. When Rolo finally took her hands in his own (after much prodding from the older boys) she felt a chill run through her. It wasn't a particularly _bad_ sensation, but it was certainly odd. It took her a couple of minutes to place the feeling and let it settle in her heart.

Nunnally removed one hand from his grip and extended it to his cheek. She stroked it gently before moving to pat him lightly on the head. Rolo blinked in confusion and knelt down to give her easier access. She smiled happily up at him.

"Otouto." She stated as if confirming it to herself. Everyone blinked in surprise and confusion at that. C.C. smirked slightly to herself and turned away. Suzaku placed a hand on the princess' shoulder.

"Actually Nunnally, Rolo is older than you." He explained. The girl turned him and simply gave him a knowing smile.

"I know."

Assassin or no, no one could deny that Rolo was still emotionally younger than his new 'older' sister.

"Nee-sama?" he asked curiously. The girl nodded and continued to stroke his hair with the fondness one reserved for a small animal.

"Welcome to the family Rolo-kun." Rolo smiled back at her shyly, feeling a twinge of guilt. It was no wonder Nii-sama adored her. He couldn't believe he had ever even _considered_ killing his most precious Nee-sama!

One could say that Rolo got attached easily.

Then again, few people _didn't_ get attached to the Lamperouge siblings easily.

It was _totally _their fault.

* * *

Suzaku was actually having fun. He liked getting dressed up; it was the only reason he dealt with Lelouch's meticulously elaborate costu- er, _uniforms_. Suzaku studied his reflection in the mirror. He was currently donning a wavy blond wig on his head and some foundation on his face and body to make his tan skin lighter. On top of that he wore the Ashford Academy uniform. The Ashford Academy _girl's_ uniform. Underneath _that_ he wore a pair of black lace panties and a matching bra, supported by a pair of suction-cup DD-size 'breasts' that attached to his skin with surprising realism.

Kami knew where Sayoko got these things.

Probably the same place C.C. got her dildos.

_One day, one day…_

Two doors down, Lelouch sat on his bed while Sayoko fixed his hair and makeup and C.C. sat off to the side watching him with a lecherous smile that made him contemplate having Sayoko knock her out.

The resulting retaliation wouldn't be worth it.

Lelouch let out a mute sigh and resisted the urge to squirm. He was dressed as Suzaku was with a few key differences: His wig was long and amber-colored, his undergarments were red, and his 'breasts' were slightly smaller in terms of bust.

If it wasn't already clear, Milly apparently had _not_ forgotten to throw a party.

Damn her.

The costume list went as follows:

Lelouch was Shirley. Suzaku was Milly. Rivalz was Nina. Rolo was Kallen. Milly was Suzaku. Kallen was Rivalz. Shirley was Rolo. Nina was Lelouch. Nunnally was Arthur.

And no one was about to attempt to dress up Arthur again.

Most. Embarrassing. Hospital. Visit. Ever.

Even more embarrassing than the one following the 'chocolate incident.' It was _that_ bad.

Anyways…

Lelouch looked up when he heard a soft knock on the door. Sayoko smiled and went over and opened the door to reveal a dressed up Suzaku. The 'blond' tilted his head and mimicked C.C.'s smirk.

"Well well, Shirley. Don't we look pretty today?" he cooed with an annoyingly Milly-like leer. Lelouch gave him a blank stare and scowled. Suzaku's simply smiled. He bounced over to the other 'girl' and sat beside him of the bed.

"I can't imagine why you like this sort of thing." Lelouch muttered. Suzaku wrapped his arms around his beau and pulled him into his lap, taking care to give the teen's voluptuous bust a squeeze, to Lelouch's dismay.

"I get to imagine that I'm a kid, _really _pretending to be someone I'm not. More than anyone, I'd think that you would appreciate that, My Lord." He murmured, fondling the teen's "fun-bags". Lelouch sighed softly and wiggled, slowly removing himself from Suzaku's embrace.

"Yes yes, let's just get this over with." He said, visibly resisting the urge to slouch.

"Take pictures." C.C. ordered from her seat on the windowsill. The 'blond' chuckled while the 'auburn-ette' rolled his eyes.

----

When they reached the banquet room, they found that they were the last to arrive. And it seemed that they had entered the twilight zone. Kallen (as Rivalz) had Rolo (as Kallen) cornered and was giving him a bit of a talking to because of his portrayal of her.

Unfortunately, everything Rolo knew about Kallen was based on her (real) Black Knights persona. Not that he could tell her that aloud.

"Come on, Rivalz, leave her alone. It's good to see Kallen excited about this whole thing." A voice admonished worriedly. The real Kallen's head shot up to look over her shoulder at…Shirley? She quickly tossed that thought away at the sight of violet eyes. She spun around completely and locked her fingers behind her head.

"WOW. And here I thought you were feminine in looks only." She shot back in her most Rivalz-like voice. Lelouch let out a shy laugh.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were jealous of my looks, Mr. Secretary." He replied sweetly. Kallen rolled her eyes at that. Lelouch looked around the blue-haired teen to the redhead. "Kallen? A word?" He added. Rolo shot up out of his seat and quickly went to his brother's side. Lelouch pulled him to the other side of the room.

"What did I do wrong?" Rolo asked in confusion. Lelouch turned to face the smaller teen and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Do you remember how Kallen acted the day I introduced to the council? That's how she acts all the time at school. She needs or wants everyone to believe that she's demure and fragile to prevent suspicion. Do you understand?" Rolo nodded in confirmation.

Lelouch nodded to himself and turned around to be faced with yet another horror. Nina (as Lelouch) had Milly (as Suzaku) dipped and was kissing her deeply. Around the room, things went as follows: Suzaku was looking just as shocked as the real life Lelouch, yet strangely intrigued; 'Rivalz'-Kallen was letting out wolf whistles and giving them suggestions, damn her; 'Nina'-Rivalz was blushing while looking like he wanted to be wanted to be doing what the fake him was doing; Nunnally-the-cat was looking innocently and adorable confused; and both the real and fake Rolo's had turned bright red, so at least _they_ were doing their parts right.

Lelouch stared blankly at the fake versions of himself and his boyfriend that were _still_ making out after 3 minutes. It looked like he was the only one interested it stopping things.

Because Nunnally _was not_ old enough to be watching porn, let alone listening to it, damn it.

Lelouch walked over to the two, placed a hand over each of their eyes and pulled them apart. "What, pray tell, are you guys doing? Lelouch? Suzaku?" he stated in his sweetest voice, while _looking_ ready to strangle them. Both 'boys' just looked up at him sheepishly; with Nina having turned a Guren-colored shade of red.

Because everyone knew there was nothing they could say to wipe this away.

"Now, Shirley, don't be mad, kay? I didn't mean to steal Lelouch from you, really." 'Suzaku' said innocently, causing the real Shirley to blush deeply. Milly reached up and wrapped her arms around Lelouch. "Besides it could be worse, right? I could have…" she trailed off whispering the rest into his ear. Lelouch opened his mouth a few times as if to argue but seemed to be silenced by whatever Milly was saying. Lelouch slowly paled to a very wall-like white. He turned his head away and mouthed a curse.

Except that.

The two heads of the Student Council separated with Milly smiling smugly and yet, oddly enough, innocently at the same time and Lelouch looking like as if he'd been stood up for 6 hours for the third time by the same guy.

As if he really should have know better.

Sigh…he did. He just didn't like to admit it sometimes.

Lelouch's eyes shifted to give 'himself' a blank stare. Nina blinked in surprise and let out a supremely un-Lelouch-like squeak.

"There's a lot of Ho-yay between you guys." She stated with a shy giggle. "I couldn't help myself…" Lelouch sighed and rolled his eyes. He turned away and walked over to the real Suzaku who was looking at him curiously.

"What did she say?" he asked in a whisper. Lelouch clenched his fists, unclenched them, and took a deep breath.

"Apparently, owning a building allows one to install cameras in specific bathrooms." He muttered. Suzaku blinked in surprise and looked past him at Milly, who simply gave him a knowing smile and a wink. Suzaku turned a deep red and couldn't help but cover his face. He couldn't even remember the last time he had been _this_ embarrassed.

The 'chocolate incident' was looking really good right now.

* * *

That evening the Aorist, (as named by, once again, C.C.) less Rolo, Sayoko, and Villetta, met in their favorite warehouse. Lelouch took his seat in the chair at the 'head' of the round table, while the others took their own seats in various positions. Once everyone had settled, Lelouch turned to his scientists.

"Were you able to complete it?" he asked. Lloyd gave his boss a knowing smirk and opened the large white bag he had brought with him. From it he took out an orange winged shaped object and set it on the table. Suzaku stared at the small object blankly before turning to his lover.

"You've yet to tell me what you're planning to do with this." He stated. C.C. stretched in her seat at the other side of Lelouch.

"That's because we don't intend to." She replied for him. Everyone else blinked in surprise.

"Are you serious?" Suzaku half-hissed, "I thought we were supposed to be doing this _together_. Why are you suddenly leaving me out?" By this point, Jeremiah and Cecile were watching the situation unfold in alarm, while Lloyd and Lakshata looked pleasantly intrigued. Lelouch sighed softly.

"We're going to go after Mao. He can't get information from C.C., and I'm taking steps to make it the same with me. But we're to be gone for a couple days and need _you_ here as an overseer." The former prince told him. Suzaku took in a deep breath to keep from outright scowling.

"That doesn't explain why I still don't know what your plan is."

"We can't control Mao's movements. On the off chance that he accidentally comes within range of you, there's a possibility that he'll hear our plan." C.C. explained. The brunette sighed in acknowledgement of her words but glanced at Lelouch worriedly. Lelouch smiled at him calmly.

"Relax, I'll be fine. He has no reason to feel threatened. He will likely not be armed." Both Suzaku and Jeremiah's eyes narrowed at the 'likely'. Lelouch simply shrugged. "It'll be fine. Trust me." Both relaxed (a bit) but were still noticeably concerned. Lakshata picked up the geass canceller and turned it this way and that.

"You know, it's pretty annoying to try to build something without knowing its function." She stated offhandedly. The three geass users cringed. They couldn't exactly deny that. They looked at each other for a moment, seeming to converse through their eyes. After a while, C.C. shrugged, Suzaku propped his elbow on the table and rested his cheek in his palm, and Lelouch sighed.

"Let me first say that none of us has used these 'techniques' on any of you." Lelouch stated. Suzaku let out a slight cough. Lelouch and C.C. raised an eyebrow at him.

"Once." Suzaku stated with a shrug. Both stared at him blankly. Lelouch rolled his eyes.

"Right. Okay, Suzaku has used it _once._"

"Oh ho ho. Are you referring to his 'calming' technique?" Lloyd asked. The others blinked at him curiously. Their leader nodded.

"It's called a geass. Each person who receives one is granted a specific power over the mind, complete with its own terms of use and limitations." He stated. Cecile's eyes brightened slightly.

"Like a superpower?" she asked with barely concealed excitement. C.C. smirked and let out an affirmative hum.

"So what are your powers?" Lakshata asked.

"I can manipulate the emotions of other people within a certain range. With eye contact, Lelouch can command people."

"So…forced obedience? Figures." The tanned woman stated with a shrug. Cecile cringed, looking mildly deflated.

"Is…is that how you gained the Black Knights' support?" she asked quietly. Their leader shook his head.

"No. I've specifically try to avoid using it on them, and I've never used it on them for that purpose. Rest assured their support is genuine. The only person in this room that I've used it on is Suzaku. I only commanded that he 'live'." Lelouch said. The three scientists stared at the brunette for a moment who stared back curiously.

Yeah…they could already see why he needed that just from his battle record. As if reading their minds, Suzaku rolled his eyes and looked away. Jeremiah turned to look at C.C. curiously.

"Do you have one too?" he asked. The woman gave them a noncommittal shrug.

"Alright…" Cecile said slowly at that, "What about that boy you brought with you last time? He's a bit young to be doing this kind of thing otherwise right?" Suzaku nodded.

"He can manipulate a person's perception of time. Freeze your frame of mind so that he can work around you for a few seconds. Unfortunately, his geass causes his heart to stop while it's active." The others members frowned.

"How horrible! Couldn't he die if he uses it for too long?" Cecile asked in alarm. Both boys nodded solemnly. Lloyd chuckled softly, to Cecile's chagrin.

"A fifteen-year-old with a pacemaker." He snickered. Lakshata turned away and giggled along with him. Cecile groaned at their childishness.

"Guys, com-" she started.

"Wait. A pacemaker?" Lelouch said thoughtfully. He looked at the scientists out of the corner of his eye. "Can you guys make and implant one? A strong one?" he asked. Both stopped laughing.

"We're not doctors." They stated in unison. Suzaku raised an eyebrow.

"So you _can't_ do it?" he stated more than questioned. Lakshata frowned.

"Now, now. We didn't say _that_. Just that we're not…_certified_ for such things." She said.

"But we _can_ do it, if there's a need to." Lloyd added for her with a shrug.

"Good. We need to set up a time to do that later then. Until then we need to tell Rolo to refrain from using his geass." Lelouch murmured, directing the last part to the rest of the Unholy Trinity. Both nodded. Lelouch sighed and picked up the geass canceller and handed it to Jeremiah.

"This is for you. It negates the effects of geass and prevents them from affecting you." Jeremiah looked down at the object in awe. He stared at it for a long moment then blinked.

"Orange." He said. Lelouch chuckled and nodded, propping his elbows on the table and placing his chin on his interlocked palms.

"Yes."

* * *

A male figure entered a dark room. The only light was that from the waning crescent moon visible from the room's far window. There were only two others in the room. A young woman with long green hair styled into a long French braid and another male, this one with short black hair. Both wore formfitting black outfits; he wore a white shirt under a long black coat and black pants, she wore a long black coat-like dress that buttoned down the front of the chest.

Oddly enough, the male sat almost limply at the girl's side, his head on her shoulder and her arm around his waist. Odder still was the fact that he was blindfolded by a black piece of cloth. He was so still; the part of his lips that he breathed from seemed to be the only indication of his being alive.

Mao's eyes shifted beneath his visors, taking in the state of the room. Other than the couch the two sat on and a loveseat directly across from them, there was no other furniture in the room. And no other people within 500 meters of where they were.

And yet, it was _so_ silent.

Mao frowned and stared at the black haired male who sat so close to _his_ C.C., but there was nothing. He concentrated harder, to no avail. There were no thoughts.

Nothing at all.

Mao's expression calmed and he moved closer to the duo. Rather than take a seat, he came before the immortal witch. C.C. stared up at him and gave him a warm smile. She extended an arm to him. Mao gasped in delight, fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around her.

"I knew it! I knew you still cared!" he whispered excitedly, snuggling against her.

"Mao…Mao." C.C. called softly to get his attention. She gently reached down and removed the visor/headphone combo. She stared down into his eyes for a long moment and smile. "Mao…Thank you for coming. Please have a seat." Mao nodded happily and all but bounced over to the offered seat. He looked back at Lelouch again, curiously.

"This is Lelouch, another Geass user." She explained.

"I can't hear his thoughts. He's… like you." Mao stated unsurely. C.C. nodded and placed a hand on Lelouch's head, running her fingers through his hair. The teen's head tilted up to her direction.

"Yes…" She murmured, "We are very much alike. I truly hope that the two of you will get along." She said. Mao nodded happily, eyes shifting to Lelouch's face in delight. A small smile crept onto Lelouch's face as well.

C.C. leaned down and slowly undid the binds of the prince's blindfold. She pressed her mouth to his ear and quietly whispered something to him. Lelouch stood up and walked dazedly over to Mao with his eyes still closed. He knelt down before the other and reached up, taking the Chinese man's face in his hands. Lelouch brought him down so that their foreheads touched.

"Mao. Mao." He whispered in the same loving tone that C.C. had used. Mao flushed, taking in a deep breath, body visibly shaking at the feeling, the thought, of no longer having to be alone.

"Lelouch…" he whispered back, gripping the slighter teen's arms in excitement. Lelouch's eyes slowly opened to stare up at him with the same insignias that tainted Mao's own eyes.

"Mao…" Lelouch murmured, eyes opening wider until they were opened fully, "Obey me." Mao let out a slow hitched gasp as his mind rewired itself accept Lelouch into his mind, already crimson eyes becoming rimmed with an even darker red.

"As you wish." Mao said. Lelouch stood slowly, keeping hold of Mao's face. C.C. stood up as well and went to her partner's side.

"From this point on…" she said.

"From this point on…" Lelouch repeated.

"You will harm no one without the permission of a member of the Aorist, unless for the purpose of self defense. You will be unable to read our minds. You will not see us as a threat. And should I ever say, 'Mao, obey me.', you will follow any orders I give you. Do you understand?" C.C. said and Lelouch repeated. Mao nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty." He stated monotonously. C.C. placed a hand on Lelouch's shoulder. The teen stood up and turned to face her. He stared at her with the same blank expression that had mostly remained the entire time.

"Wake up, evil angel." She said softly. Lelouch let out a hitched gasp. He blinked slowly several times, hard. He put a hand over his eyes and bit back a groan. After a moment, he lowered his hand and looked up at C.C.

C.C. smiled at him and jerked her head slightly to the side. Lelouch's eyes widened and he turned around to find Mao staring up at him with a happy smile. Lelouch smirked slightly to himself and leaned down to Mao's eye level.

"Welcome, Mao. I'm glad you could join us."

* * *

**I hope you guys liked this chapter!**

**(Had a typo and needed to re-post this.  
**

**I apologize if it was a bit confusing. Especially the part with everyone looking like each other. It was kinda hard to even write.  
**

**Even I was surprised by the Mao part. It came out of nowhere and kept me from having to kill him off. Close call there. **

**Some notes:**

**For those that don't know, 'Otouto' is 'little brother'**

**Yay for continuity nod to the dildos!  
**

**Ho-yay is short for: Homoeroticism, Yay! **_**will**_** ruin your life! ^_^**

**Look it (ho-yay) up, you'll love me for it.**

**An aorist is basically a verb tense (**_**do not**_** know what that is) that is used to express a past action without letting you know how long the action took or whether or not it was even completed. 'Without Horizon' literally.**

**No, I will **_**not**_** be telling you guys about the 'Chocolate incident' anytime soon, if at all. It's part of the mystery. Thank you Calvin and Hobbes!**

**I **_**will,**_** however, explain how Lelouch got around Mao's geass next time.**

**Also, is it…good to be able to prevent Mao from reading people's mind like that? Can I even do that?**

…**Oh well, it's done. :Shrugs:**

**Thank you all for sticking with me. Please review if you can!**


	10. Chapter 10

**My oh my. I've gone off on a bit of a dark tangent. I'll try to get some humor in, but there is none at all in the first parts. SORRY! Just to let you know now, this chapter is going to be a trip. Seriously, it'll probably be a bit confusing.**

**Someone mentioned that the time frame of the story kinda confused them. Well, this is AU, so I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say it's been 3-5 months since Clovis's death…yeah.**

**Anya will be appearing in this chapter finally. I'm sorry that I put it off for so long! I'm not really sure of her personality so I may have written her weird.**

**== Warning, there will be hints of suicide, murder and rape in this chapter, sorry to say.**

**

* * *

**

_Lavender eyes blinked ever so slowly when a drop of blood landed on their owner's face just between his brows. They shifted to look at his now blood streaked arm or, more accurately, at his wrist where the blood was coming from. There was a thin deep slit that ran neatly from the left side of his wrist to the right side. The young man sighed softly, letting his arm fall to his side._

_He was _cold.

_He wondered absently if it was death that left you feeling chilled or the tub water he was currently lying in. Granted, it had been warm when he'd drawn it...Had HE died feeling this way?_

_

* * *

_

**Lelouch ran as fast as he could through the drought-ridden plain, pushing the wheelchair that held his younger sister ahead of him. Lelouch ran bent over slightly, as if to shield Nunnally from the dangers around them. **

**Lelouch bit his lip hard and took another slow breath from his nose. He was already long since out of breath, but he wasn't about to let Nunnally realize it. Assuming she hadn't already, if the way she tilted her head in his direction and frowned uncharacteristically every now and again was any indication. But as much as he hated to, her brother ignored the looks. If he didn't see them, if they weren't **_**there,**_** maybe he could believe that there was nothing wrong.**

**That they weren't slowing down.**

**And being chased like dogs.**

**And surrounded.**

**Helpless.**

**Alone.**

**Lelouch skidded to a halt when a door-less black truck drove around them and stopped in front of the duo. The prince began to back up but froze, knowing full well even without looking that there was another at his back. He closed his eyes, resisting the urge to shake, and opened them again. Lelouch stood tall, staring down their pursuers as they exited their vehicles.**

**All of the soldiers were wearing long helmets that covered their hair as well as their faces from the forehead to just under the nose. Nunnally could feel more than hear her brother's breath hitch. She bit the inside of her lip and reached up, covering one of his hands with her own smaller ones. She squeezed it comfortingly. Lelouch turned the palm of his hand away from the wheelchair to squeeze hers back.**

**Lelouch walked around the wheelchair, his hand never separating from Nunnally's, to stand before the man closest to them, who he assumed was the leader. "What do you want with us?"**

**The man chuckled softly and took another step forward. "Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia." He greeted with a smirk. **

**Nunnally kept outwardly still but bit the inside of her lip even harder. Lelouch on the other hand kept his cool, simply raising an eyebrow. **_**"Who now?"**_

**The leader frowned slightly. Without so much as a beat, he dashed forward to come to an abrupt halt not two inches away from his male prey and grabbed him by the chin and around the waist to keep him from moving. Lelouch let out a choked sound in shock. The leader, a tall broad-shouldered man thus named Noz, leaned even closer and smirked down at the former prince. **

"**I am not so easily tricked. One would think that a prince – and princess – in hiding would at least have the sense to dye their hair."**

**Lelouch glowered up at the man. "I **_**don't know**_** what you're talking about! You scared us half to death and chased us all the way out to the middle of nowhere for **_**this?**_** Who on earth are you people?" **

"**Nii-sama!" **

**Lelouch gasped and attempted to spin around, or at least turn his head, to his sister but Noz had an annoyingly firm grip on him. Lelouch glared bloody murder up at the helmet. "Let Allison go! She has nothing to with this!" **

**Noz laughed, his men joining in, over the sound of Nunnally's muffled protests. "Allison, huh? How cute." He pulled Lelouch even closer. "Tell me, Britannian **_**trash**_**,****why would we want to let her go? Princess or not, I'm sure there's someone out there more than willing to pay a hefty price for her safe return…although, I suppose the same could be said about you." Noz said, taking advantage of his position to lick Lelouch slowly on the neck. **

**Lelouch's eyes shifted away, unable to even pretend he wasn't utterly squicked by the sensation or what it meant. "Let her go," He said again, more quietly, "Please. She hasn't done anything to deserve this. So just…" Lelouch closed his eyes, trying to come up with anything better than what he was about to say. "Keep me instead."**

**Noz leaned back and stared down at Lelouch curiously for a moment, his expression blank. He released the boy and took a step back. "Fine."**

**Lelouch immediately spun around to find Nunnally being held by one man, one hand over her mouth and an arm around her neck, and flanked by two others. All three stepped back away from her as Lelouch came closer and kneeled before her. **

"**Nii-sama…please don't! Let me stay with you!" **

**Lelouch took his sister's face in his hands gently and smiled warmly at her, though he knew she couldn't **_**see**_** it. "You know I can't do that. I'll be fine. They're not going to kill me. I'll be fine. We'll be back together soon. I promise." He said.**

**Nunnally frowned worriedly but nodded, both knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to change his mind. She wrapped her arms around her brother and kissed him on the forehead. "Please, please don't be long." She said. Lelouch smiled behind his newly formed tears and returned the gesture. He slowly released her, stood up and backed away. **

**Taking that as her cue, Nunnally took a deep calming breath and turned away from Lelouch. She didn't know how she'd get back to town, but she'd follow the road. **

**Lelouch closed his eyes and sighed softly, not bothering to open them when he felt Noz's arms cage him again. Lelouch could feel Noz chuckling silently against his back and knew he was screwed 9 ways to hell. Literally. **

**A sharp cry jerked him out of that thought. Lelouch's eyes shot open and looked in the direction of the sound. Nunnally faced away from them not 10 yards away, the back of her wheelchair riddled with holes. She sat slumped forward and there was a growing puddle of blood beneath her seat. Several of the men had smoking guns with silencers attached pointed at her. Lelouch stared at the scene wide-eyed and hyperventilating. **

**The former prince cried out heartbrokenly and wrenched in Noz's grip a few times before he was able to break away, and ran towards his sister's body. Not 2 seconds later, he was tackled to the ground by Noz. **

"**NO! NO! YOU BASTARDS! YOU SAID YOU'D LET HER GO!" The boy screamed, thrashing around beneath his captor. **

**Noz let out a deep laugh as he pressed the entirety of his weight on Lelouch, using one hand to cover Lelouch's mouth using the hold to tilt the prince's head back so that he could look into Lelouch's eyes.**

"**Yes, yes, I did say we'd let her go. But I never said how far."**

**Lelouch froze and stared up at Noz wide-eyed in horror. Noz grabbed Lelouch's hair and jerked his head back further, capturing the boy in a deep bruising kiss that Lelouch didn't bother to fight against. There was no point.**

**He had nothing – and no one – left to live for…**

**

* * *

**

_He blinked slowly, and raised his other arm, this one also sporting a nice even cut across the wrist. He brought his arm closer and lightly ran his tongue over one of the trails of blood before letting his arm fall back to his side. He ran his tongue along the roof of his mouth, savoring the copper taste of his life._

_The prince sighed softly. He felt lethargic. His eyes were heavy and his mind was beginning to feel muddled around the edges. He sunk into the water until he was completely covered and stared up at the ceiling. It wouldn't be long now. _

_He was going to go join his most precious sibling. _

_The prince could feel his heart beat a bit faster at that thought, feeling the throb in his head. No doubt that that would help speed up the process of dying. So he allowed himself to take pleasure in the thought. He wrapped his arms around himself and curled slightly into himself, as much as one could lying on their back in a tub anyway, and resisted the urge to giggle underwater. _

_Even underwater, he could hear the door open and instinctively turned his head, seeing only the white marble of the bathtub, darkened by the blood in the water and by his mind drifting away._

_He never got to see who it was that entered._

_

* * *

_

"Gino."

Gino Weinberg blinked in surprise at the tug on tail of his uniform. At the moment he was wearing the semi-standard Knights of Round uniform sans the green cloak. He looked over his shoulder to see his petite pink-haired comrade Anya Alstreim. The girl blinked up at him and stared silently for a moment before letting go and turning away. "Come. One's requested our presence." She said simply.

Gino nodded and fell into step beside her. They walked for a minute in comfortable silence. Then there was a soft 'click'. Gino blinked in confusion and looked down at the girl who was had her ever-present camera in hand. "What did you take a picture of?"

Anya tilted her head to look at him and turned the camera so that he could see. He squinted slightly and stared at the picture for a moment, attempting to figure out what it was he was looking at. It didn't take him long.

"You took a picture of my _butt_?"

"It's a nice one." The girl stated simply as she turned her attention back to the image. "I noticed when I was walking up to you. It would look good in my blog."

Gino flushed and fluttered a bit before pausing. He turned his head back and looked at the subject in question. "T-that doesn't mean you can…huh. You think so?" He asked, shyly curious. Anya nodded, a slightly smile creeping onto her face as she gave the subject another look. Gino couldn't help grinning when a thought popped into his head, "I wonder if he thinks so too…" he thought aloud.

"Who?"

Gino jumped, having momentarily forgotten about her. He rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "Uh…No one."

Anya stared at him blankly for a moment. She turned forward and began walking again. When Gino had stopped to ogle himself, something fairly hard to do while walking, she had stopped as well. "I'm sure 'No One' does as well." She said. Anya paused thoughtfully. "Should we send him a copy and ask?"

Gino turned a bright red and he laughed at the mental image of Suzaku checking his emails to find an image of the Knight's ass. Gino almost choked from his laughs. "No, no. But shouldn't you be putting your own butt in your blog?"

Anya looked back at her own ass but didn't stop walking. "Hmm, no. I like yours better." She said matter-of-factly.

Gino rolled his eyes but wrapped his arms around the smaller teen. "I adore you, you know that?"

Anya nodded to herself. "You're going to have to remind me every now and again."

"Will do!"

By that time, the two had finally made their way to the meeting room. Gino opened the door for the other Knight and followed her in. Bismarck Waldstein was already in the room, seated at the head of a long rectangular table. He nodded to them when they went to attention. The Knight of One swept his hand out in a motion for them to have a seat. Gino took a seat on the left side of the table, 2 spaces away from Bismarck and Anya sat across from the blond.

"The two of you are being sent to Area 11."

* * *

Lelouch closed his eyes and bit back a scowl. Not only did he have a massive headache, but there was also a large barnacle attached to his side.

Its name was Mao.

The white haired man had his arms interlock with both his and C.C.'s but was outright snuggling up against Lelouch. Mao giggled softly as he rubbed up against his new favorite person. It was all Lelouch could do to keep from being pulled into the man-child's lap to be seriously fondled with the least sexual pretense possible.

Something he hadn't realized was even possible.

Clearly the driver of their cab thought the same thing, because he was sending them not so pleased looks. Fortunately, (or unfortunately) Mao was too distracted by his new Hug-Me Barbie to acknowledge it.

_[Hug-Me Barbie! Now with 3 new catchphrases! "Mao…", "C.C., do something.", and "For the love of G-." For only an extra $4.99, you also get two new ball gowns with attachable suction-cup…_attachments_.]_

Anyway…

They had made the mistake of not taking their own vehicle so the last half-hour had been spent 'crowded' into the fairly large backseat of the cab, silently urging the driver to move faster.

Lelouch let out a resigned sigh and looked around the barnacle at C.C. 'We're leaving him at home.' He mouthed to her. C.C. nodded in obvious agreement, a tired expression on her face, before quickly switching to a smile when Mao turned and smiled at her. She reached up and patted him on the head affectionately, to his delight.

Lelouch messaged his temples wearily. Why was it that after the ten-odd years that he'd spent taking care of Nunnally, he was feeling like he was dealing with children for the first time?

Lelouch shook the thought away. Homemaker extraordinaire or no, he could never be a stay at home parent. He'd hire an army of babysitters on his own dime before he considered such a thing.

Sigh…Only two more hours until they get into town.

Lelouch very nearly died on the inside from the thought.

* * *

Villetta watch with more than just a touch of jealousy as her former Margrave and the female ninja made snacks in the 'kitchen' area. They were in the aorist base, which Lelouch had taken it upon himself to redecorate. The kitchen was to the far right, with an industrial stove at the far wall, a large sink to the right of it, and a large fridge to the left of the stove. There was also a large counter a couple feet back from the kitchenettes for cutting, setting, etc.

Sayoko was currently at the table, cutting fruits for a fruit salad with one hand and vegetables for a soup with the other. Jeremiah was at the stove, tending to the soup (adding freshly cut veggies when needed) and baking biscuits.

What was Villetta doing?

Mixing the eggs. THE EGGS!

She did NOT go through all that training so that she could be an egg mixer. They had appliances for that kind of thing. It wasn't her fault that her cooking was…a little less than fantastic. What she wanted to know was when Jeremiah learned to cook. _Then again_, she thought with a smirk, _he was her Margrave, it was to be expected that he'd be great at everything he did._

"I'm sorry, everyone, but I'd like to get started now. We're going to need to put all of this on hold and eat later, okay?" a voice called from behind them. Sayoko and Jeremiah looked over their shoulders and Villetta turned around to look at Suzaku. The brunette stared at them, his expression looking slightly fatigued, and tilted his head.

Jeremiah frowned worriedly at the teen. "We're going to put all this away. We'll be with you in a moment." He said. The knight nodded and left as silently as he'd entered. It was like his heels were made out of foam. Villetta tilted her head as she thought about that. Lelouch and Lloyd _were_ the ones to make his clothes…

Villetta sighed and shook the thought away, covering the egg container with plastic wrap and putting it away. She followed the other two cooks back into the main warehouse, now cleaner and sparsely decorated. There were now a couple nice swivel chairs a couch and a large love seat.

When the group entered, Lakshata was reclined on the couch smoking with Lloyd at her feet reading a file. Cecile and C.C. were each in their own swivel chairs. Suzaku was currently lifting a sleeping Lelouch up from the love seat, sitting, and placing the older teen half on his lap. Lelouch's eyes opened slightly and he stared blearily up at his boyfriend for a long moment before turning to face his group. For a moment, he seemed to consider speaking, thought better of it, and settled back into Suzaku's body.

Sayoko looked on worriedly. "Is he alright?" she asked, directing the question to C.C.

The green haired witch sighed absently. "He's going to be dizzy and tired for a couple days, that's all. He had to use the Geass on himself." She stated.

Suzaku scowled slightly, tightened his hold on Lelouch's waist. "Why? He's used it on himself before. Why's it hurting him now?"

"He rewired his brain, more or less shutting down nearly all but its automatic functions. Asking your mind to do that and then reverse it is taxing. We're lucky he was able to do that at all without the use of a Geass _made_ for things like that." She answered.

"Like his father's." Suzaku murmured. C.C. nodded while all everyone else's heads swerved to stare at them in shock.

By now, Jeremiah was already on his knees next to the love seat, worriedly patting his prince on the head. "The Emperor has a Geass?" he said.

"Apparently, it can alter one's memories." Suzaku murmured, looking towards the ceiling.

Lakshata sat up fully thought hunched over. "That's…worrisome. Shouldn't we be more worried about that?" she asked, taking in another puff from her pipe. C.C. waved off the scientist's concern.

"No, he's more likely to simply kill us. If we can avoid that, we're golden."

Villetta scoffed. "You make it sound _so_ easy." She said. C.C. chuckled softly and shrugged.

Sayoko walked over to her charge and stood at the other side of the love-seat. "He _is_ going to be alright though, isn't he, C.C.-sama?" she asked, restraining herself from picking up the prince and cuddling him. Lelouch had moved himself further onto Suzaku's lap in his sleep and with his legs wrapped around one of Suzaku's as if it were a tail. Every now and then, his back would arch slightly in a stretch; he'd shiver, yawn, grip his lover more tightly, and then settle in again.

Adorable, in a future Ruler-of-the-World kind of way.

C.C. nodded, her face set into her normal blank expression. "Yes. His mind in intact and everything for the most part. He'll simply have something akin to a…hangover, I suppose, for a couple days. All the adults instantly sympathized.

Lloyd closed his file. "Since our fearless leader isn't available today, why exactly have we called this meeting?" he asked.

Suzaku propped his elbow on the armrest of his seat and his eyes narrowed. "It seems that there's going to be a death…" he murmured.

* * *

Two days later, it was a wonderful afternoon. The sun was shining without being too bright and there was a nice light breeze keeping the temperature from being too hot. It was perfect sleeping weather.

Lelouch sighed happily, settling himself underneath a large tree in one of the city's nicer parks. The prince lay back and stared up at the sky through the tree's boughs and leaves. The sun glimmered, casting down little spotlights onto area, the spotlights shifting and shivering as the breeze rustled the trees leaves.

Lelouch smiled serenely up at the sky, his headache dulled in his sense of calm. He draped his arms over his waist and relaxed into the soft grass, allowing himself to fall into a blissful sleep.

When he awoke sometime later, Lelouch found himself staring into a pair of unfamiliar but warm brown eyes. Lelouch blinked slowly up at the person, still far too relaxed to be particularly bothered by the fact that someone he didn't know had been watching him sleep. He sat up slowly and stared curiously at the man who had turned his head to look up at the sky.

The man was fairly tall. Even sitting, that much was obvious. He was wearing a soft, smoothed back dark blue newsboy hat, from which strands of brown hair could be seen. He wore a form-fitting deep green T-shirt with a thin thigh-length black jacket and beige slacks. Lelouch blinked slowly up at the man. He didn't recognize the man at all, but he _felt_ familiar.

"Who are you?" Lelouch asked, finally taking it upon himself to break the comfortable silence. The brunette turned to look at him and smiled warmly. Lelouch felt his heart jump but didn't show it.

"My name is Eric." The man said softly.

Lelouch tilted his head at that. He didn't remember any Eric's. "My name is Lelouch. Have we met before?" he asked. Eric's eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise before returning to normal so fast, Lelouch half wondered if it had been there to begin with.

"…Lelouch? That's an interesting name for a Britannian."

Lelouch resisted the urge to tense up and smiled casually. "My father was French. My name is Lelouch _Lamperouge_." The prince replied.

Eric's eyes softened slightly at those words, and this time Lelouch was sure he noticed a trace of sadness in the man's eyes. "No. I'm afraid we haven't met. You just looked like someone I once knew." He said with a smile.

Lelouch watched him for a moment before tilting his head up towards the sky. "I'm sorry for your loss." He murmured. There was silence between them for a long moment as the two stared up into the tree. Eric stood up and bent at the waist, extending his hand to Lelouch. The teen took it, absently surprised at how soft it was, and allowed his new friend to pull him to his feet. Even when Lelouch was fully standing, Eric didn't let go, though his grip was gentle enough for even Lelouch to break out of with ease.

Eric placed his free hand over the small hand in his hold. "Lelouch, will you allow me to treat you to lunch?" he asked.

"Lelouch blinked in mild alarm, unable to hold back the look of surprise. "I'm sorry…I'm involved with someone already." He said.

Eric tilted his head in mild confusion before a slow warm smile crept upon his features. "Don't worry; my affection towards that person was never romantic. I simply wondered if I could use food to bribe you into showing me around Japan. I feel one brochure shy of being an obvious tourist. " He said.

Lelouch bit back his surprise. It was rare for anyone, especially a Britannian, to openly refer to Japan by its former name.

The young prince chuckled softly and nodded. "Sure, why not. I've nothing better to do." He said and they began to walk.

The wandered the immediate area on foot and took a taxi to other, still relatively close, areas. Lelouch pointed out important buildings and landmarks, while Eric told him about what he knew about each place so far, or telling him what other places he wanted to visit. Lelouch was inwardly happy that he was with someone interested in seeing the museums and artifacts of actual Japanese history in addition to the Britannian one instead of someone only interested in clubs or date spots.

Though they did spend a short time at the amusement park.

Lelouch stared down at the ground so far beneath them before leaning back in the seat of their Farris Wheel booth and looked at the brunette across from him. He wasn't all that surprised to find Eric staring back. "You must have liked that person a lot if you'd go so far out of your way with a stranger like this." He said.

Eric chuckled softly, leaning forward in his seat and setting his forearms on his legs. "Yes. He was my most precious person. Never before and never since have I cared for someone so deeply." He turned to look out the window at the amusement park while they passed the ground level. "It…was weird. How happy I felt just being around him. I think it's the closest I'm going to get to really 'falling in love' without feeling the need to…" he rolled his wrist, as if trying to come up with the right word, "_consummate_ the relationship."

Lelouch let out a choked laugh that quickly calmed. He raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think you're never going to fall in love again?" he asked.

Eric shrugged absently. "I don't particularly…like having people close."

Lelouch nodded understandingly. "You know…I didn't like my boyfriend when we first met. I damn near _hated_ him." Eric's head shot up and he blinked at Lelouch in shock, calmed, and raised an eyebrow curiously. "I kept people at a distance. I didn't even like most people in general, but _he_, he was the exact opposite of me, everything I wasn't and could never be and just as stubborn." Lelouch shook his head in mild annoyance at the thought.

"But our situation forced us together and he helped me so much, we helped each other. And we got used to each other. And started to see past all the things we didn't like in each other…and at some point camaraderie turned into love." Lelouch looked up at the man, his expression warm and loving. "I know…you deserved to be loved. As loved as you loved him. As loved as I'm sure he loved you. You just need to give someone a chance to."

Eric stared at Lelouch wide-eyed for a long moment. His head jerked away to look out the window. "Yes. I'm sure you're right…" he said, so softly, Lelouch almost didn't catch it. They sat like that in a thoughtful silence for several minutes until the ride ended.

An hour and a half later, they were sitting outside of a small restaurant, eating under a large white umbrella. Lelouch had a large stuffed rabbit set between him and the back of his seat and Eric had a small bowl with a tiny baby koi fish swimming around in it. They were at the desert stage at this point, and Lelouch had chosen strawberry chocolate ice cream while Eric had settled for a small blackberry pie.

Eric sized Lelouch up, his expression curious. "Shouldn't you be in school?" he asked, as if it'd suddenly occurred to him.

Lelouch froze, paused thoughtfully, and then shrugged. "It's fine. My grades won't suffer from missing one day." He replied with a scoff. "I'm sure I could run circles around most of my teachers mentally."

Eric laughed at that, a deep one from his chest that he covered his mouth in an attempt to hide. Lelouch chuckled softly at the sight. It was nice, while personable, Eric seemed too reserved normally. They settled into a happy silence this time as they continued eating.

"Sir."

Both looked up to seen a blond haired boy with a ponytail in a dark blue suit smiling warmly down at the two of them. He bowed respectfully to Eric. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Are you ready to go, Your Highness?" he asked.

Lelouch's eyes widened very slowly, though he quickly managed to keep his growing sense of horror from his face. He turned and looked up at Eric. "Your Highness?" he repeated in a shocked whisper.

Eric turned to look over at him and his eyes narrowed, a small wistful smile appearing as he stood, picking up the fishbowl. He moved to the other side of the table and cupped Lelouch's cheek with his free hand, gently wiping away a stray drop of ice cream with his thumb. Eric leaned down and placed a fond kiss upon Lelouch's forehead.

"It was a pleasure spending the day with you." He murmured honestly. "I…hope that we will be able to do this again." Eric continued as he drew back slowly. He absently licked to ice cream off his thumb causing both minors to blink up at him in surprise. Eric reached into his wallet and placed a couple bills onto the table. He looked back at Lelouch for a long moment with an expression bordering on longing before turning back to the Knight and giving him a nod. "We can go now, Lord Weinberg."

Gino smiled respectfully up at the man, and turned away to lead him to where he had a slick black car waiting. Lelouch watched in silence as the two entered the vehicle and drove away. The former prince propped his elbows up on the table and covered his eyes with his hands.

"Fuck…" he whispered. His heart was beating so fast he feared it might stop. One hand fell from his eyes to clutch his chest. The hand tightened into a fist.

_It was _him. Schneizel.

There was…there was no one else that it could be. It explained the familiarity, his shock at Lelouch's name and sadness at his 'heritage'. Lelouch swallowed thickly. But more than that…more than that…

_Schneizel LOVED him._

For once, he knew Schneizel hadn't been lying. Lelouch vi Britannia was dead and Lelouch Lamperouge didn't know Schneizel. Physical resemblance or no, he had no reason to make up a story about love when he could have passed it off as something else.

But he didn't.

Lelouch had honestly been the only person Schneizel had ever loved. Considering everything that had happened in his last life, he wasn't sure whether he should be happy, sad, or angry. His heart chose a disconcerting mix of the three.

Lelouch sighed softly and finally got up from his seat. He took a cab home, went to his room and fell into a restless slumber.

Schneizel sat as proper as expected from a prince in the back seat of car. Kanon was driving because Gino, despite being a Knight of Round, was still too young to. The blond turned to look at his prince as the man removed his hat, folded it and set it neatly on his lap. Schneizel turned his head slowly to look back at Gino. "Tell me, Lord Weinberg, how much longer do you think I'll be needing a _sitter_ for?" he asked.

Gino cringed slightly but kept his calm, though Kanon's snicker didn't help in that matter. "…So long as you need protecting, Your Highness. No matter _whom_ your enemy is or what form they should take." He said.

Schneizel smiled coolly, his eyes narrowing slightly. He turned his attention downward and stared at the watch on his wrist, the clock on the inside. He traced the nail of his forefinger along the front of the watch, drawing an invisible line over the watch that would match the scar underneath.

* * *

**So…How was that? I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. **

**So...How many of you predicted the whole Schneizel thing? Does the beginning make sense to you now?**

**Also, I want you guys to vote on the pairings. M/M, F/F, M/F, I don't care. Give me your feedback for any and all pairings that you're interested in. They just can't break up the established Suzu/Lulu couple. Even C.C. can be paired with someone else. **

**I will be posting the votes at the beginning of each chapter. If I hear a pairing I really like, I may just bypass that votes. **

**There is also no pairing too crackish. Do you want Gino/Schneizel, Euphie/Kallen, or…hell, Nunnally/Jeremiah? Let me know. (Breaks out into laughter at the last one)**


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